


Multiple Skeletons And A Druid

by FrogHatt



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: :(, Adventuring, Bara Underfell Sans (Undertale), Bards, Clerics, Druids, Edge is MEAN, Elves, Eventual Reverse Harem, Flower Crowns, Fluff, Fuck it., Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Grillby is a nice guy u.u, Humans are mean, In more ways than one, Innocent Reader, Kinda like Dnd but not really but kinda, Monsters Were Never Sealed Underground, Multi, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Paladins, Pseudo-Medieval AU, Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader Kinda Has An Appearance, Reader has a past, Reader is Kinda Awkward, Red and Axe are pals in this one, Slow Burn, Sorcerers, Warlocks, We don't like them :(, We'll get into that eventually, You know what., bc i do what i want, bc i need that ok, edge's opinion no longer matters, i should mention that i add stupid tags all the time lmao, lets see how many skeletons you can meet in just a few weeks, like a PAST, like theyre nice but will also fight you probably, no beta we die like men, ok i lied reader is innocent yeah but they still know what they're doing, reader has no specified gender, slowest of burns, some of them matter some dont, u.u
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:34:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27749827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrogHatt/pseuds/FrogHatt
Summary: You are a Elven Druid in a kinda pseudo-medieval D&D-esque world, looking to go on an adventure! At your favorite tavern one night, you meet two skeletons...And that's where it all starts.Formerly just six skeletons but welp things change ig lol
Relationships: Papyrus (Underswap)/Reader, Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Papyrus (underfell)/reader, Sans (Horrortale)/ Reader, Sans (Underfell)/Reader, Sans (Underswap)/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 55
Kudos: 165





	1. Things Always Happen At The Tavern

**Author's Note:**

> !!! I had this idea and **had** to get it out o .o 
> 
> there are so many ideas i have that i want to explore so be prepareddddd~~

With a heaving push, you shove your way into the Quest Hall, pushing past the heavy wooden door. A scent fills your nose, one of sweat, dirt, and warmth, and many sounds as well. Shuffling of different kinds of foot covering, clicking and clinking of shined, metal armor, the chatter of many kinds of voices. 

The senses are almost too much for you, not being one that was subjected to such noises for much of their life, but you’re getting used to the bustle of the public. And, luckily for you, the Quest Table stands not too far from the front entrance. You approach the tall lady who stands behind it, her hands folded gently atop each other as she looks ahead, only recognizing that you’re there when you get close. 

With a smile, you place your own hands on the cold stone counter, sliding a roll of yellowed paper towards the lady, who takes it and reads it, glancing at you from time to time. 

“Do you have the requested item?” she asks, in a kind, honeyed voice, though it seems a little tired from speaking and asking the same questions all day. You nod to the lady, digging a burlap sack from your satchel, sliding it across the counter to the lady. 

She takes it and unties the small vine keeping it shut, placing it gently to the side. Looking into the sack, she digs around in the contents, causing them to clink together. 

“Alrighty!” she chirps, taking a basket from under the counter and dumping out the bag, returning the sack to you once it’s emptied, “That’s eight boar tusks! And, in return, you receive…” 

She looks back at the roll of paper, sliding fingers over the crinkled surface. 

“Five copper pieces!” 

You nod, smiling thankfully as she slides the little circles of currency over to you. 

“Would you like to take another Quest?” She asks, stepping to the side and lifting a soft hand to the board behind her, exposing the many other papers pinned to the wood. 

“No, thank you. Thank you, though!” 

You cringed at yourself. No one says 'thank you' twice in a row! 

You step back and bow a little, then turn on your heel and pad away, giving the counter-lady a wave as you drop your money into a small pouch on your belt, the new coins clinking onto your older ones. In total, that’s ten copper pieces and one silver, just from this previous quest alone. You had refused to let the meat of the boars go to waste, and so sold it to a butcher at the market, for the five other copper bits. The hide you tanned and sold to an up-and-coming blacksmith’s apprentice, which is where you got the silver piece from. 

You were something of an entrepreneur, if you dare say yourself. In fact, at that thought, a smile spread across your face. Money wasn’t too valuable to you, but to others, especially humans, money was a very important commodity.

You padded out of the building, pushing hard once again on the large wooden door, and stepping out into the public square, more bustle chorusing in your pointed ears. It made you frown just a little bit. Noise wasn’t your thing, unless it was that of the Wild. But, unlike the bustle inside the Hall, this one was more spread out, as well as a bit calmer, which was better. Instead of folk looking for a quest, within the square flowed normal, simpler folk living their life. 

Passing a dwarven mother and her children, with a wave, you joined in the bustle, feet padding on the cobblestone near-silently. You walked ahead on the balls of your feet, curly hair bouncing in your eyes. You passed the butcher you sold the meat to, who gave you a wave, large, bloody cleaver in her hands. You waved back, making sure not to look at that stained metal in her hand, and kept padding along. Newer scents began to fill your nostrils as you padded down the street, these ones of food and drink. Meat was never one of your favorites, but the Gods thank you as the smell of fresh sourdough loaves covers the smell of the fresh game. 

You walk past the bakery, resisting the urge to walk in and get a slice of bread for yourself. You were better than that, and you had things to do! 

Things, meaning you wished to go to the tavern, relax once more before looking for a party to join and travel with to The Big City. 

The tavern was a fairly well-known one, with good food and good drink, a warm atmosphere and good folk. It was called “Grillby’s” and was run by a good friend of yours by the same name, who assisted you when you first arrived to the town, teaching you how things worked here, the dialect, how you were conduct yourself with other people, essentially anything you needed to know to become a functioning member of society. He was also the one who provided you with a friend when you needed one. 

Arriving at the tavern, you sniffed the air, welcoming the warm smell of honeyed mead into your senses, then proceeding into the building, which the door of was propped open by a heavy rock, allowing in fresh air and making for a more welcoming atmosphere. You padded in and waved at some of the common patrons, who were sat at rounded tables with large steins in their grasp. 

Padding past them, you approached the bar, heaving yourself onto one of the tall stools, smiling at the flaming man who was cleaning a stein with a cloth. 

After placing the cup behind him, he walked over to you, flickering slowly, a small line of a smile evident on his orange face. It was hard to see, but there nonetheless. 

“Is this the final time you will be dining here?” he asks, reaching under the counter for a bowl. 

“I think so,” You smile, adjusting your belt, feeling the weight of the coins within the pouch. 

“Well, then, dear, this bowl of soup,” He lifts the wooden bowl up with a kind smile, “is on the house.” 

“Awh, Grillbz, you don’t hafta do that,” You reply, feeling bad for him to be so generous to you once again. 

“It’s quite alright,” he nods, “It’s a tradition, I suppose I’d say. When my last favorite patron departed on an adventure of his own, I gifted him with mashed tomatoes as a gift.” 

“Mashed tomatoes?” you asked, quirking a brow and tilting your head to the side.

“He was an odd one, indeed.” replied the flaming man, seeming to reminisce a little, removing the top of a pot and spooning in a milky looking soup, then replacing the top and sliding the wooden bowl over to you, placing in a spoon to go with. 

“Thank you,” you reply, stirring the liquid and gathering up the little gnocchis in the brown spoon, shovelling the familiar lumps into your mouth. 

You moaned a little around the spoon, your senses tingling, taking a moment to appreciate the faint taste of fresh thyme and wild spinach. 

“what a nice noise that is,” rumbled a voice, right next to your ear. You could feel them behind you. How’d they get there without you noticing-- the soup! It distracted you!! 

But still, you flinched, causing said soup to fall out of your spoon and onto your fingers, the near-burning warmth causing you to squeak. 

“Ah!--” you say, with 100% dignity, your digits shivering a litte, fumbling the wooden spoon in your hand, while also trying to lick the liquid off your hand, “Um- h-hi?” 

“heya,” replied whoever it was, sliding onto a stool beside you, raising a-- bone? Phalange? At Grillby, to signify he wanted a drink. The flaming man nodded and stepped away, retrieving a stein from the cupboard behind him. 

You try to take another sip of your soup, but your fingers shake a little nervously. 

You don’t like being scared. 

The skeleton, as you now see he is, glances at your and raises the bones above his eye sockets. His eyebrow bones? He wears plate and hide armor, with fur lining the neck. His trousers are dark, with pale stripes of hide stitched on the side. It looks like some kind of rabbit fur, which was impressive, because it didn’t seem to be terribly stained. 

Hooked to his belt were two short axes, the handle of which appeared heavy and intricately carved, a leather thong looped into a hole in the ends. The blades of them were sharp and gleaming, though nicked from use. 

“ya alright there, kiddo?” he questions, taking his stein from Grillby and lifting it to his mandible. It’s now you notice he had a shiny, golden tooth, that glints in the warm light. 

“Mhm,” you nod, staring into the milkiness of your soup, “I’m good.” 

Grillby places a warm hand atop yours, looking at you kindly. 

“It’s alright,” he says, in that soft voice of his. It makes you feel better near instantly. 

You smile at him, and turn back to the skeleton. 

“Yup! I’m fine!” you repeat, though this time you voice not shaking like a leaf in the wind. Well, at least, not shaking as much.

Your voice always shook a little, in addition to your accent. Sometimes it makes you hard to understand, but you tried your best! In point, your voice shook very slightly more than usual, a little fear still crawling in your skin, but you did your best to cover it. 

“Hm,” grunts the skeleton, holding his boney hand out to you with a smirk on his skull. 

You look at Grillby, a look of confusion on your face. Uh?? He didn’t teach you about this????

The flame-monster shrugged, smirking so-slightly. 

You looked at the skeleton, even more confused. You thought Grillby knew all the things! 

“ya shake m’ hand, kiddo,” he says, waggling his digits. 

“Shake?” 

He nods. 

“grab m’ hand,” he replies. When you raise your hand to make contact with his, he chuckles, and shakes his skull side-to-side, “other hand.” 

And so you raise your other hand, placing it on the skeleton’s. Surprisingly, despite what you would have thought, his phalanges aren’t cold. 

But.. the feeling of the bone is familiar. You know that feeling, it’s- 

No. 

Can’t think about that, not now. Definitely not now. Today was a good day!

You shake your head, long ears waggling, to get the thought of… that… out of your head. 

The skeleton quirks a bone-brow at you, the red dots in his sockets flickering with amusement. 

“Now ya shake it, up an’ down, an’ say ya name. like this: heya. ‘m red.” 

“Um. Heya? I’m (Y/N)” 

“(y/n), huh?” he says, trying the name out.

“Mhm!” you nod, and then sit there. Slowly, he retracted his hand from yours, giving you an odd look. Neither of you knew how to continue the conversation. 

“What brings you here, Red?” asks the fire man, quirking his head to the side. 

“travellin’ with m’ bro t’ the big city. he’s a hotshot, so we get around alot.” 

Hotshot?? What did that mean??

But what interested you more was not the odd words of the skeleton, but rather the contents of his sentence. 

“You’re going to the Big City?” You ask, eyes sparkling. 

“uh.. yea----” 

“BROTHER!” shouted someone loud, “WHERE ARE YOU!?” 

“uh, here, boss,” the skeleton said, voice now timid, instead of the rough it once was. He raised his arm up to whoever acknowledged him.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” 

It was a taller skeleton. A very tall skeleton, much taller than Red. He wore a lengthy coat that was frayed at the edge and nearly touched the ground. It created a graceful arc around his feet, and gave off an intimidating air. He was a Sorcerer, and a clearly very powerful one, given that he wore so much _crimson._ His boots were red and heeled, his belt and gloves red as well. 

Crimson color was hard to come by, and so, in turn, expensive. Unless, of course, you dyed by blood. Which was harsh, and never came out in even color. But, his coat was solid red, deep and dark, strongly saturated. It was, even though you disliked the color red, a beautiful coat. The shoulders, instead of being fabric as well, were black metal, pointy and sharp, as well as his short chestplate, shining so pristenely you could probably see your reflection, but you were short. 

Around his neck wore an even redder scarf, however, which seemed to flutter, even though there was no wind. 

“i’m having a drink and making conversation.” 

“WITH WHO?” 

“this elf.” 

“WELL THAT ANSWERS NOTHING!!” 

He glances at you. Oh, curses, he’s scarier than you thought! He’s got two large gashes over his right eye socket, which also lacked the floating red lights. Other scrapes and nicks mark his skull, but none as deep as the two over his eye. His teeth are sharp, like his brothers, though lacking in a metallic tooth. 

Even though he’s the one of the most intimidating folk you’ve ever met, you wave and smile, not wanting to possibly incur any wrath he may have. 

“Hi! That's me! I'm an elf!” you squeak. 

“YOU! ARE YOU A DRUID?” He shouts. Huh? 

Why’d he want to know? And, plus, you thought it was obvious, what with your outfit and all

“Erm. Yeah?” 

“boss, you can’t just ask--” 

“I REQUEST YOU COME WITH ME AND MY BROTHER ON OUR JOURNEY.” 

???? 

This just got weirder and weirder. 

“Um. what.”

“Ditto.” piped Red. 

“THOUGH I AM SKILLED IN MAGIC, I AM NOT WELL AT THE HEALING ASPECT, AND NOR IS MY BROTHER. YOU, HOWEVER, BEING A DRUID, ARE IN TUNE WITH NATURE AND KNOW, IN THEORY, BOTH HEALING SPELLS AND HERBAL REMEDIES, WITH WHICH ONE MAY FIND USEFUL. SO, I ASK AGAIN; I REQUEST YOU COME ALONG WITH MY BROTHER AND I.” 

???????????????????

“I don’t know a ton of high-healing spells..” you start, blinking away. 

“DO YOU KNOW WELL OF WILD HERBS?” the skeleton asks, cocking his hips. 

You nod, though look at Grillby for help. He simply smiles at you, wiping out a bowl.

“THEN THAT IS GOOD ENOUGH,” replied the tall skeleton. 

“boss, ya don’t even know their name.” 

“I-it’s (y/n)!” you squeak. 

“AND MINE IS EDGE. THERE, BROTHER.” 

The short skeleton sighs. 

“are you for real, boss?” 

“INDEED I AM!” 

“I mean.. I’m headed to the Big City too,” 

You shrug your shoulders. 

“PERFECT!!” Edge shrieks. Goodness, how loud could one be? 

“this is seriously happening.” 

Indeed it was. 

“THEN, ELF, WILL YOU JOIN US?” 

“Sure! It can’t hurt, can it?” 

Oh. Oh, it sure can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I made Edge a Warlock bc i didn't want him to just be another guy w/ a weapon. so uh yeah. also Red is a Barbarian 
> 
> 2\. We all need Caretaker Grillby in our lives
> 
> 3\. The big city would basically be the country capital. i call it The Big City since there are many languages and that's just gunna be the common name (and not bc i couldnt come up with a name no sirree 0 .0;;))
> 
> 4\. Monsters are a thing im gonna explore in this just wait and see i promise we dont just kill monsters here
> 
> 5\. Basically all the dnd classes exist here, but they're not **exactly** dnd classes they kinda vary a little u'll see <3
> 
> 6\. Red confuses u so much and i love it ur babey
> 
> Thank you! I love u
> 
> Edit: Edge is now a Sorcerer bc i did some research lmao


	2. Don't Set Out On An Adventure With Strangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Departure!!! You say goodbye to Grillby and go to the gate, then you're off! Humans are mean ):<

For the rest of that night, you spent listening to Edge and Red chattering, though Edge did much more of the speaking. Red was kind of just… there. You and Edge had discussed where he wished to meet in the morning. He spent a portion of that time asking what spells you did know, which was, in truth, not many. 

You knew basic healing, but curses were out of your comfort zone. You were more skilled in herbs; what made a headache go away, what made one wake up, what made bleeding stop, et cetera, et cetera. Though, this would be a good chance to develop your healing magic. 

You departed from the other two late at night, waving a goodbye after assuring the taller skeleton that you would meet him in the morning, ready to depart, at the west gate. 

Though the encounter was… frightening, you were still impossibly excited as the prospect of _finally_ adventuring of your own accord, with a small party, working together and gaining experience and wisdom! 

The party was a decent set up. Red was a Barbarian, Edge a Sorcerer, and you a Druid. You didn’t really know if the others were proficient in battle or anything, but you sure hoped they didn’t go _looking_ for things to fight. 

That morning, when you woke up, you woke up with a _fire_ . You sprung from your cot, quickly getting dressed in the gear you had wanted to wear for _ages._ First was the thick leaf bandage that went around your chest, waist, arms, and legs, to prevent chafing and soreness when the armor was removed. Over that went bark shin guards, then a poncho-esque top made of large leaves. You wore boots that were high as your shin and made of strong, thick bark and leather, with a hard toe-tip. 

You slung your satchel over your shoulder, sticking within it more bandages, these made of cloth, a small needle and string, a few small whetstones, and dried plants. A book of Druid-Style Magical healing also went in there, in case you needed it. Wrapped around your thigh was a holster for two knives, one short and one long, freshly sharpened. These, you would use for many things. For digging things from skin, for marking the ground so you wouldn’t get lost. The skinning of animals as well. The last one you disliked, but, as you saw last night, the skeletons thoroughly enjoyed meat. It was something you’d have to deal with. 

Around your waist, you tied a sash that would double as a blanket across your hips, hiding the knives on your leg. You place your bedroll on your hip, above your satchel, patting it to make sure it’d stay and not jostle around too much.

The last things you put on your person were your coin pouch and your spear. The spear was long, and quite a bit taller than you. You’d prefer not to use the spear, but self defence was important, especially while travelling. 

With a sigh, you shook your body, wriggling the nerves from your fingertips. When you were satisfied, you pushed out of your little room and out into the street. 

Before you went to the gate, though, you had one final stop. Grillby’s. You had to thank him and tell him goodbye! 

You padded down the cobbled road, your location only minutes away from the familiar tavern. You waved to the butcher, who was just opening the door to her own shop, shooting her a kind smile. Passing the bakery and the other stores, you sped to Grillby’s, pushing past the door, which was closed now. 

You saw your friend wiping down tables with a cloth, cleaning them for the day’s service. It was a melancholy sight. You produced the biggest smile you could muster, your cheeks hurting a little with how big the grin was. The flaming man looked up at you, and cocked his head. He opened his arms to you. 

And you dove into his arms, burying your face into the black vest he wore, sniffling. 

“You know, you don’t have to go If you do not want to.” He said, patting your back. 

“I wanna. ‘M just gunna miss you.” 

“Awh.” he muttered, continuing to pat your back. 

You steeled your nerves and stepped back, looking up at Grillby, setting your fists on your hips. 

“I’ve got this! I’m good! I can do this!” You assure, though more to yourself than anything. 

“I believe in you,” nodded Grillby. 

“It’s gonna be great!!” 

“As great as you want it to be, dear.” 

“I’m gonna go now! Goodbye, Grillby! I shall see you some other time! Maybe!” 

“That you shall. A final hug?” he requests, spreading his arms once again. You give a sharp nod and wrap your arms around his frame tightly, squeezing him. Your arms shook just a little, and so did your knees, but that’s because you were still just a teensy bit nervous. 

When you pull away, you wipe the tears away from your eyes, blinking to get them to go away. 

“I’ll see you some other time, dear,” he nods, picking up his cloth. You give him a nod in return, words failing you at the moment. You turn and skitter out of the tavern, giving Grillby one last look over your shoulder as you do. He waves. 

You do the same, then speed away. 

The west gate is on the other side of the town, not an area that you were familiar with. You hurry in the direction, knowing the basic direction of the gate, boots thudding softly on the stone underneath your toes. Your hair bounces in front of your eyes, and your belt thuds against your hip, coin pouch jingling slightly. 

The streets, so far, are quiet, other people just waking up and getting their days started. You see a Paladin step out from the Quest Hall, pale armor glinting in the light of the morning. She waves to someone on the inside, smiling. 

In the thin alleyways, you see small rodents scampering about, digging around in boxes and whatnot, scrounging for food. As you head on, the large, stone walls of the city come into view. The wooden wall of the west gate stands tall, sharply contrasting with the stark off-white of the walls. A little off to the side, you see two dark figures, one sharp and tall, one short and round. 

You speed up a little, running to join the two skeletons. Red looks you up and down. You do the same with him.

“Hello!” You greet them, taking your gaze from the shorter skeleton to acknowledge the taller one, waving a little. 

In his phalanges, Edge holds a long, black metal staff, intricately carved with swirling patterns and characters you couldn’t read. At it’s tip was a sharp point, separated in the middle to hold charging magic. It was interesting to you, as most staves you had seen were made of more natural materials, or were not so complicatedly decorated. 

“GREETINGS, ELF,” Edge shouts, looking down at you, “ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THE JOURNEY?” 

“Mhm!” You nod, though you quirk your brow, “are you?” 

“WHY, OF COURSE I AM!” 

“Where is your bedroll? Your spellbook?” 

“BAH! SPELLBOOK? I HAVE NO NEED OF ONE!” 

“But what about your bedroll?? Both of your bedrolls, actually? Do you both intend on sleeping on bare ground?” 

“OF COURSE NOT! I HAVE MINE HERE, UNDERNEATH MY CLOAK. I… DO NOT KNOW WHERE RED PUT HIS.” 

“i got it, somewhere.” 

You blink at the shorter skeleton. 

“Do you know where?” 

“uh.. maybe. it’s all good.” 

Another sigh, but you shake your head. You were sure he knew where his bedroll was. You weren’t going to start doubting him yet. That's not how you start an adventure!

“Well. um. I’m ready if you are?” you offer, albeit a little awkwardly. 

“YES! LET US DEPART! THE EARLIER WE GET GOING, THE BETTER!” 

“Alrighty, then.” you reply, as Edge turns on his pointed heels, tapping his staff on the cobbles in time with his steps. Red follows behind you, his heavy shoes scraping the ground as he drug his feet. 

Leaving the city was, usually, an easy task. You just had to get approved by the sentinels that stood by the gate, who were there to make sure you didn’t have anything you weren’t supposed to have. The two men that stood there looked over you with a critical look, as another pat you down, taking your knives from their palace on your leg. You’d rather he not touch your legs.. Or your body in general..

But he did slowly. When he pat your thigh, he discovered the location of your knives, taking them from their holster and lifting the blades to your face, dangling them by their wood handles. 

“Do you know how to use these, kiddo?” He asked. You weren't a kid. In fact, you were probably older than him.

“Yes” you glanced at the others, noticing that they were not even touched by the guards. They were just standing there, looking down at humans. 

Damn being an elf in this town. Damn being anything but a human and not in a position of power.

But damn being elven in particular. They were considered, as the humans said, ‘pussies’, and weak by nature.

“Really? Then what are these scratches from, huh?” He asks, his metal-clad fingers stroking the scratches and notches and scars of your pointy ears. You flinched visibly, stepping back from his touch and whimpering, ears pinned flat back against your head

“EXCUSE ME, BUT WHAT IS THE HOLDUP? THOSE KNIVES ARE PERFECTLY LEGAL.” Edge demands, stepping forward.

“Just making sure the kid knows how to use them. Can’t have it hurting itself again,” he smirks, gesturing to your ears again, “Especially with that big ol’ spear on their back. Thing looks sharp.” 

_Those marks are not my fault_ , you think, over and over. They really weren’t.. 

“that ain’t ya job, buddy. give th’ kid their stuff back.” Red grumbled, interrupting your thought process. 

“Alright, alright,” says the guard, sticking the knives into your hands, signalling to the other guards to let you guys pass. You place the two blades back into the holder on your thigh, recovering them with the cloth around your waist.

You shake your head, still feeling the phantom touch of the guard's hands on your body. You brush yourself off and hurry to follow the two skeletons, sidling beside Red. You feel the gaze of the humans follow you, baring holes into your body.

“thanks,” you mutter to the skeletons.

“damn guards are always assholes. don’ worry bout it.” Red confirms, fiddling with the fuzz of his hood.

“HUMANS ARE, SIMPLY PUT, DICKS.” 

Edge glanced back behind him, looking pointedly at the gate guards, making sure they heard him.

“Yeah, they are.” you mutter. 

_They’re a bit more than that.._

You cross over onto the solid dirt ground, your boots crunching into the gravelly surface. 

You clear your throat, patting the side of your satchel, glancing out at the far-spreading plains, then at your companions, who just looked on ahead. 

“so.. why are you headed to The Big City?” you ask, trying to make a little bit of conversation. You joining up in their party last night was pretty unpredicted and spontaneous, so you had no _idea_ who these guys were. All you knew was that Edge was some kind of high-ranking Sorcerer. 

“I AM TRAVELLING AWAY FROM MY HOMELAND TO TRANSFER TO ANOTHER, AS REQUESTED BY MY QUEEN. I AM TO SERVE THERE IN THE MILITARY FOR SOME TIME. MY BROTHER IS TAGGING ALONG BECAUSE HE CANNOT TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF” 

“rude.” 

“I’m sure Red can take care of himself! He got himself dressed, correct?” 

“BARELY.” Edge frowned. 

“Oh.” 

“yeah,” nodded the shorter skeleton, though his spiky grin spread, “I’m just a lazy sack o’ _bones”_

You rolled your eyes. You discovered, last night, that Red was a big fan of wordplay. Some of his quips you understood, but most you didn’t. Something about ‘boning’? Every time he had made jokes like that, Grillby would tense, and Edge would hit him upside the skull. Red just laughed through it. 

“Well! At least he has a kind brother to take care of him!” You smile, but Red barked out a harsh laugh, tipping his skull back and letting the noise out into the atmosphere. Edge glared at him. 

“I AM INDEED KIND,” Edge said, placing his knuckles on his pointy hip-bones. 

“sure ya are, bro. sure.” 

You also discovered that Red had a whole internal dictionary of odd language. Hotshot, bro, ditto. You had no idea what they meant, but tried to make assumptions as to what the words implied. Bro was a term he used to describe his brother, seeming to be a shortened form of that same word. 

“He seems pretty kind so far,” you say, trying to defend your new companion. Though you had known him less than a day, he seemed to be an okay person, although loud and somewhat frightening. 

“SEE! THE DRUID THINKS I’M KIND!” 

“that’s ‘cuz they’re supposed to assume all livin’ things are good ‘til proven otherwise.” 

“That’s not true!” You pout. 

Being a druid was about being in tune with nature, and to protect the natural and living from the unnatural and unliving. Though, unliving was a particular term. 

You tap your chin. 

“It’s like saying that all barbarians are mindless war machines!” you say, using Red as an example, “he’s got a mind, doesn’t he?” 

“SOMETIMES I ASK MYSELF THAT QUESTION.” 

“hey!” 

“ _Or_ saying that Sorcerers are meanies that only know how to be aggressive!” 

“i ‘unno. lotsa folk ‘ave called edge a ‘meanie’. not necessarily wit’ that pronunciation.” 

“I AM NICE!!” 

Red snorts, and you shake your head in amusement. 

“But, still.” 

“yeah, kid, I get what yer tryna say.” 

You smile, glad that you had discovered a good example. Even being a druid, language and meanings sometimes eluded you. 

You began to whistle, looking over at the horizon. Red picked at a loose clump of fluff on his hood. 

This would be a good time and good experience. 

You were ready for this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We don't like humans here >:((((
> 
> Also, imagine the nicks i described in Reader's ears like pig ear notches ;3. Within this universe, Elves have veryvery long ears. They're about 10 in. long, and also can move, kinda like a cats? you'll see u3u
> 
> Edit: Edge is now a Sorcerer bc i did some research lmao


	3. Flower Crowns Make You Very Pretty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You make Red a flower crown, fall on your face, then enter a forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reader is the sweetest sweetheart ever u3u

As your group of three walked on, the city got smaller and smaller in the distance, turning into a tiny black pin prick on the blue horizon, barely visible. You three muttered aimlessly, about nothing at all, while your shoes crunched atop the gravelly road. 

Speaking of shoes, you weren’t sure how far Edge was expecting to get in those boots, with the heel so long. Like most of his outfit, Edge’s boots were red and black, with smaller gold clasps on the side that appeared to be for attractivity and decoration. They seemed to be made of some type of metal material, like his chestplate and shoulder guards. They reached his knees, making them at the very least, a foot tall, and taller than your own shins. The heel was black, long and tall, at least five inches and slightly spiked. 

Wherever Edge and Red came from, it must be a _terrifying_ place to have outfits like theirs commonplace. 

At some point in time, Red had drawn his axes from his belt, spinning them around from the leather loops attached to their handles, whistling a tune as he did. You made sure to stay far from his swinging weapons, not desiring to be decapitated so soon into your adventure. 

Needing something to fiddle with as well, from your satchel you plucked three pieces of green-tinted string, weaving them together in a little delicate braid, your fingers working quickly and efficiently, to place the strings. You’d done this hundreds of times before, and this was no different. 

You picked random flowers from the side of the path, pink and red and yellow ones, and weaved them into the braid, until Red looked at you curiously. 

“whatcha doin’, kid?” 

You looked up with a slight flinch, startled out of your focused thoughts. You held the unfinished braid close to your body and watched the skeleton. 

“um. making a flower crown?” 

“a flower crown, huh? why’re you doin’ that?” 

“bored. And it’s fun.” 

You felt a slight pink begin to flush your cheeks, looking away from Red and at the ground. Your fingers fiddled with the end of the strings, though you didn’t yet continue braiding. 

“huh. y’know, i’ve never heard a’ crowns made a’ flowers.” 

“Really?” 

“yeah. flowers ain’t common where boss an’ I are from.” 

“What? That’s terrible!” You pouted, ears drooping. How could they not have flowers? Flowers were awesome!

“uh-huh. the worst.” Red snorted. You had half a feeling he was making fun of you, but you shook your head. You had a goal now! 

With new speed, you laced the threads together, braiding quickly, picking the flowers as fast as you could and weaving them in. Your fingers spun, but never got tangled together. When you finished, you paused, giving the ends a look.

When you had made flower crowns before, you usually had Grillby pinch the two loose ends and burn them together, but, alas, you did not have a Grillby around you to do so. Instead, you did your best to tie a tight knot, making a large loop that you hoped was big enough. 

You pulled on the clumsy knot a little, making sure it would stay secure, and grinned. You faced Red and, walking sideways, presented the flower crown to him. He gave you a confused look. 

“It’s for you!” You grinned, “You put it on your head-- er, skull!” 

“...aight, i got that part, but… why?” 

“It’s a gift! You said you never heard of flower crowns, so you need one!” 

He gave a small chuckle, sticking his axes onto his belt, and took the crown from your hands. It looked kind of funny, in his scarred and clawed fingers. He gave it a once over, turning it around and looking at the colorful flowers. Giving you a final look, he lifts the crown to his skull and plops it on. 

“howzit look, kid?” he asks, giving you a sharp-toothed smile. 

You squeal, smiling brightly. 

“You look so pretty!” 

Red looked… taken aback. The tiniest amount of red flushed his cheekbones, and he brought up a hand to rub the back of his skull. 

“pretty, huh?” 

“Uh-huh! The red flowers make your eyes stand out.” 

“ey, boss, hear that? kid says m’ purdy.” Red grinned, nudging his taller brother. 

“WHAT IS THAT ON YOUR SKULL?”

“It’s a flower crown!” You replied, interrupting before Red could speak.

“AND WHAT IS IT FOR?” 

“Being pretty! I could make you one!” 

“I DOUBT YOU COULD MAKE SOMETHING THAT MAKES ME _MORE_ ATTRACTIVE.” 

“A challenge!” You gasp, excited, then trip on a rock, tumbling onto your face. 

Above you, you heard Red snicker, and the sound of bone hitting bone. 

“WE DON’T NEED THE DRUID TO GET HURT THIS SOON! SEE IF THEY’RE OKAY, YOU DIMWIT!” 

“aight, aight, boss, jeez, calm down. can’t a guy laugh?” 

You heard Red groan, and his bones creak and scrape together as he crouched. You felt a hand pinching your poncho and pulling you up, your torso now off the ground. You looked at Red, who’s flower crown had become lopsided, and gave him a wave, though rocks stuck to your cheek, and a little trickle of warm wetness flowed down your skin. 

“jeez, kid, how thin is ya skin?” 

_Not the first time someone wondered that._

You drew your legs up under you and pressed them to the ground, standing again, wobbling a little bit, your legs still in shock from the sudden fall. You brushed yourself off and gave a thumbs up.

“DRUID!” Edge shouted, “ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU ARE BLEEDING.” 

“ah, yeah, uh, I’m fine. Is it bad?” 

“NO, BUT THE SMELL OF BLOOD IS AN ATTRACTANT, AS YOU MAY KNOW.” 

“So are loud voices.” You point out, wiping the blood from your cheek and using the other hand to point accusingly at Edge’s skull. 

“JUST FIX IT, DRUID.” 

You muttered, slightly mockingly, under your breath. 

“I’m no longer gonna make you a flower crown.” 

But you still press your fingertips against the abused skin of your cheek, muttering under your breath a tiny spell, feeling your fingers warm and tingle, glowing slightly green. Edge watched throughout, and it made you nervous and glance away. Soon, as you finished the spell, you felt your skin patching together, and drew your fingers away from your face.

You looked at your still-tingling fingers, seeing them now tinted a green, like you dipped your fingers in paint. 

Edge continued to stare at you, his hip cocked and his arms folded over his chest. 

“Whatcha looking at?” You asked, doing the same as he, though the stance felt awkward to you, especially with your hip out like that. 

“YOUR FACE. IT’S GOT A GREEN MARK ON IT.” 

“It’s a healy magic thing. It stains the skin sometimes.” you twiddle your fingers in front of you, showing off their new green hue, “it goes away eventually. But i kinda like it. Pretty.” 

The tall skeleton sighed, glanced at his brother, rolled his eyelight, looked back at you, then continued walking on.

“COME. WE STILL HAVE A LONG ROAD AHEAD OF US, AND A WHILE UNTIL THE SUN BEGINS TO LOWER.” 

Red stayed behind a second, and nudged you in the ribs. 

“green is cool, kid. don’t let th’ boss get ya down.” 

He lumbered after his brother, and you followed. He was right! Green is awesome >:0

But you didn't like how bossy Edge was..

When finally you and your companions settled back into a steady pace, you reached up and adjusted Red’s flower crown, fixing it so it didn’t droop down his skull. He gave you a look, and you stuck your tongue out at him in return. 

“You don’t wear a crown wonky.” 

“says who, kid? maybe i like my crown t’ be wonky.” 

“Noooo,,” you pout, “because if it’s wonky, you--” 

“WE’RE HERE.” Edge grunted, rudely interrupting. 

“We’re where?” you asked in response. There was a forest ahead of you, but otherwise, nothing else. Is that what he meant? 

Apparently, it is what he meant, because he lazily lifts his arm and points to the woods. 

“Why do you guys wanna go through there?” you ask. Not that you minded the forest, not at all, you loved it, but why would these two wish to go through? 

“BECAUSE. THERE’S A SHORTCUT THROUGH THESE WOODS THAT I WISH TO TAKE.” 

A shortcut? 

“Where is it? I don’t see a path.” 

“IT'S IN THERE. I’VE WALKED IT BEFORE. FOLLOW ME.” 

Edge stepped forward, into the wood, beckoning you to follow with a wave of his hand. 

Red stepped into line behind his brother obediently, and you did the same. But, as you stepped in the wood, something seemed off. Not bad, per se, but off. Uneasy. 

You lifted your ears, making sure to stay alert, and muttering under your breath to the forest, asking it to please not make things hard. 

Ha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooouh i love flower crowns and Red wearing one is just perfect. we stan pretty boye Red. 
> 
> also. i L o v e Edge's boots, and describing them. they're just so -inhales- 
> 
> h 
> 
> o 
> 
> t
> 
> i promise i dont have a thing for boots
> 
> Edit: Edge is now a sorcerer bc i did some research lmao


	4. Bush Birds And Rude Skeletons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge is a jerk and causes problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im ligit so tired and on the verge of a big ol' mental breakdown but i had pre written this so have it lmao
> 
> update: i made me a grilled cheese and i feel a bit better

The forest did _not_ listen. 

In fact, you asking the forest to not make things hard was probably a _terrible_ , _no_ _good_ , _very_ _bad_ _idea_. 

Forests were known to be spiteful, mischievous, rascalous, which made travelling through them hard, even for a druid. Though the forest would, begrudgingly, listen to one, it would still try to make things hard. 

As shown by the vine wrapped around Red’s ankle for the fifth time since you entered the forest. 

“hey, uh, kid..?” he asked, standing in place. 

“Again? Really?” 

“yeah. guess the forest just can’t resist me.” 

You sighed, crouching down to the ground and touching the fat vine. You mumbled something to it and, after a second, it slithered away grumpily. 

You sighed again and ran a head through your hair, brushing off Red’s ankle and standing again. You turned and resumed walking, keeping an eye on Edge’s boots. You had tried to get him to take them off, unless the wanted to break or twist a bone, but he grumpily refused, saying that he knew how to deal with ‘stupid vines’ 

You bonked him on the skull with the flat of your spear for that one. 

“Don’t say that,” you growled, a little hostile, “unless you want to cause more problems.” 

You heard Red snort behind you as you whacked the taller skeleton. 

“HOW WOULD THAT CAUSE PROBLEMS?” Edge demanded, turning around and stopping the entire group, “THE FOREST CAN’T HEAR. IT DOESN’T HAVE EARS.” 

“Neither do you,” you point out, crossing your arms over your chest, “and it sure can! How do you think I can get the vines to go away?” 

“YOU’RE A DRUID.” 

You slapped a palm to your face. He was halfway right, yes, you had more sway over the forest than, say, a paladin or a rogue, but other than that, your Class had nothing to do with it. 

“No, the forest can hear. It knows. If you have bad intentions, it knows, whether you’re a druid or not. If you have good intentions? It knows that, too. If you sing to the forest, it’ll hear and respond. If you scream at the forest, it’ll hear and respond. How do you not know this?” 

“SO IF I TELL THE FOREST TO STOP WEAVING ITSELF AROUND MY BROTHER’S ANKLE, IT’LL LISTEN?” 

“Not necessarily.” 

Getting the forest to listen was… hard. Druids, Bards, and Clerics were the most likely to get a positive response from the woods, while Barbarians, Sorcerer, and Rogues were more likely to elicit a.. poor response.

You would try to explain why to Edge, but you felt his ego would make the explanation hard, so you just closed your mouth. Plus, you were… kinda bad at explaining druidic things. 

Edge gave a roll of his eyelights, turning around sharply, and pushing ahead. They had found the path a while ago, and while it was still soft, it was even and decent for travel. That is, when the vines were behaving themselves. 

Speaking of..

“kid…” mumbled Red. You turned and--

Oh. 

There was a bird on his head this time, pecking at his flower crown. 

“Awh!” you squealed, “that’s cut--” 

“WHY ARE YOU LETTING THAT FLYING RAT SIT ON YOUR HEAD? GET THAT FILTHY THING OFF.” 

“Edge! Don’t say that!” you exclaimed, astounded that he would say such a thing. 

“WHY NOT? THE FOREST LISTENS, NO?” he asks, reaching over you and swatting at the little bird. 

“Edge!! You’re gonna get us in trouble!” 

“BAH! THE FOREST ISN’T MY MOTHER! WHAT IS IT GOING TO DO, _GROUND_ ME?” 

And with those final words, the ground rumbled. Quaked. In alarm, you raised your ears and listened, maybe it was just the ground shaking? You could only hope. But-- ha, Lady Luck was not on your side today. In the distance, you heard the thundering of heavy feet, of sticks breaking and splintering. 

You stepped back in alarm, holding your spear close. 

“Something’s coming, guys,” you mutter. 

“fuckin’ seriously?” grumbled Red, glaring at his taller brother. He took his axes from his belt and got into a defensive stance. Edge readied his staff. 

You really, really, r e a l l y, did not want to fight something, not right now, and not so soon, but it was only a matter of time, wasn’t it? 

You stepped back, watching for wherever the creature was. Maybe you could talk to it? Convince it to not dust and murder you guys? 

You could only hope. 

With a screech, the creature burst forth from the woods. 

Oh, good lord. It was adorable. Well. Or so you thought. You couldn't speak for the other two in your party.

It was a large bird, made of sticks and leaves. It looked like an ostrich, or some kind of similar creature, with a large wooden crest atop it’s head, a puffy, bush-like body, and thick legs that looked like they packed a mean kick. It had knobby knees, but sharp, near-gleaming talons. 

Within it’s body, you could see the faintest of red-orange glows. It sucked that it seemed to be a headstrong creature in the first place, and sent by the forest itself, but magic? That was the last thing you needed. 

“oi, a chicken?” 

“THAT’S NOT A CHICKEN, YOU MORON!” 

“sure looks like a chicke--” 

It screeched, flailing it’s wings, charging at Red. 

Red lifted his axes and charged back, a slightly manic grin now stretched across his skull. Oh, fucking, hell. 

They had no idea how to fight in the forest. 

With a grunt, you uttered a spell under your breath, and with a swift hand movement, drew up a wall of vines between Red and the bird. 

He crashed into it, clattering to the ground with a curse.

“WHAT IN THE MULTIPLE HELLS ARE YOU DOING, DRUID?” Barked Edge. 

“You can’t fight a bush creature by hacking at it aimlessly!” you squawk, sounding similar to the bird. 

“AND WHY IS THAT?” 

“Because here, in the woods, is where it gets it’s magic from. It’s literally a part of the forest!” 

“you c’n kill a forest with an axe!” Red called, standing and rubbing his nose bone. On the other side of the wall of vines, you heard the bush bird scrambling around, trying to get through. 

“Are you going to hack down every tree in this place to kill a single creature?” you demand. 

“er…” 

“Exactly!” 

“DOES FIRE WORK?” Questions Edge, who had his staff set in front of him, seemingly about ready to begin a spell. 

You flailed your arms above your head. 

“Yes, but No!” you cried, “can we stop trying to kill it!?” 

“how else ‘r we gonna stop it from trying to kill us?” 

“I can literally talk to it, you numb-skull.” 

… 

Both of the skeletons blinked. 

With a sudden feeling of grumpiness, you approached the vine wall, sticking your spear on your back. 

You uttered something under your breath, which made the wall go down suddenly, slithering back down to the earth. The bird screamed again, flapping it’s wings. You saw the beginnings of some kind of magic forming at it’s claws, making a little sweat drip down your face. 

“I CAN STILL SET IT ON FIRE!” Edge shouted, “THAT WOULD BE MUCH EASIER!” 

“You are not setting the bird on fire!” you yelled back. 

You looked back at the bird, who was scratching the dirt and lowering it’s head. 

You sighed, closing your eyes for a moment. Good Intentions, good Intentions.   
Opening your eyes again, you felt your eyes dilate as you approached the bird made of sticks. 

“Hey, bud,” you said, “i'm sorry about the Sorcerer over there. He’s real mean, isn’t he?” 

The bird screamed, making you flinch back. Ow, that hurt. It’s voice filled your mind, though. 

_He Is Rude And Cruel. His LV is Also Very High. Displeasing. He Has No Respect. Rude. Not Nice._

“Uh-huh, I agree. I tried to tell him to be nice, but he wouldn’t listen.” 

Another scream. 

_He Seems Like An Ass. I Don’t Want Him Here._

“We’re just trying to pass through the forest. I promise we won’t try to stay any longer than we have to.” 

More foot stomping. 

“We humbly,” you put a little more effort into that last word, and lowered your head a little, “request you allow us to stay overnight in the forest. I promise Edge will cause no more problems.” 

The bird shook itself, ruffling it’s own leafy feathers. It clicked it’s beak at you. 

_When Will You Leave? No Longer Than A Day From Now?_

“We will leave as soon as possible, yes.” 

The bird seemed to nod, but didn’t step back. It looked expectantly at Edge, and clicked it’s wooden bill again. 

“It wants you to apologize, Edge. I’d advise you to do so.” 

“IT’S A B--” 

“Pick your next words very. Carefully.” 

He looked taken aback, astonished you would speak to him in such a manner. 

He grit his jaw and looked at the bird. 

“BIRD, I HEREBY APOLOGIZE FOR MY ACTIONS. I SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SO RUDE IN YOUR DOMAIN.” 

The bird seemed to grin, puffing out it’s chest and wagging it’s wings. 

_The Apology Is… Not Yet Sufficient._

Oh, gods dammit. 

“It says your apology isn’t good enough.” 

_Make him bow._

“Wh-” you turned to the Bird, “Are you serious, uh, sir?” 

_Of Course I Am._

You sigh, and turn back to Edge. 

“The bird says you need to bow.” 

_Both Of Them._

“What did Red do?” 

_It’s Funny._

“what did i do?” asks Red. 

“Um. Nothing, Red, uh. T-the bird wants you both to bow.” 

“BOW!? I, NOR RED-- BROTHER!” 

Red had already bent at a clumsy angle, attempting to tug his brother down as well, whisper-yelling at the taller skeleton. 

Huffing, Edge bowed to the bird, very clearly tense and angry. 

_Ha. Haha. Funny. Alright. Well,_ The bird turned back to you, giving a nod and clicking his beak in mirth, _You Three May Stay In My Woods Until The Sun Is In The Middle Of The Sky Tomorrow._

The bird turned on it’s.. Heel? And approached Edge and you stiffened. Oh, Gods, was his apology really good enough? Oh, no, oh, no, oh-- 

The Bush Bird walks between Edge and Red, pointedly shoulder-checking the tallest skeleton. 

_He Needs Manners, Druid._

Oh, how you knew. 

As the bird disappeared into the wood, you approached Edge too, drawing your spear out from it’s place on your back once again. 

You hit him with it, hard. 

“You moron! You should have listened to me!” 

Bonk bonk _bonk_. 

“I told you the forest could hear, and what did you do? You could have killed us, you oversized-ego having skeleton!” 

“WH-- STOP HITTING ME, DRUID--” 

“No! You have to apologize to me, now, jerk!” 

“uh, kid, calm down?” 

“Not until he apologizes!” 

“I DO NOT APOLOGIZE TO WEAKLINGS.” 

You paused, knitting your brow. 

Weakling? He was calling you weak, when you literally saved his life!? 

You frowned, crossing your arms over your chest. He was so mean! How could he be so freaking cruel! Even Red, a barbarian, was nicer than him! 

You sniffled. 

“‘M not weak.” 

“did you-- are you-- boss, you made ‘em cry!” 

You.. you were? 

Huh. You were. Guess it made sense. You had a lot of stuff going on right now, y’know? Leaving your home with strangers, leaving your only friend in a long time, being berated by one of those strangers. Telling one of those strangers what not to say, and then he goes ahead and says it, getting threatened by a hostile bird, then being told that you were a weakling? 

It was just.. A lot. 

And all this had happened all in the span of a day. Just one day. 

And Edge is still being a jerk! Such a Jerk! 

You felt more tears begin to flow. Your knees were weak--

Black flooded your vision. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> D:<
> 
> i love when edge causes problems. love it. 
> 
> but fuck, i hate him so much too he's such an ass i want to throw him in the trashcan
> 
> Edit: Edge is now a Sorcerer bc i did some research lmao


	5. Sneaky Sneaky Druid (With A Slingshot!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You mess with Edge, he's a jerk on many levels, you have a moment, try to be nice to him, it doesn't work. Why is he so mean? 
> 
> Mentions of past abuse and harm. also some slight injury.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sighs. 
> 
> Suffering mega writers blocc
> 
> bear with me as i try to not be a terrible person lmao 
> 
> i have ideas on how to resolve this buttttttt
> 
> have some more asshole edge who has no clue how to be nice

You wake in a tree.

A tree, you ask? 

Yes, a tree. Its big and fat, and very pretty. It looks like a white oak. 

How did you get up here, you ask? 

Well. 

No idea. 

You were asleep when it happened. 

You can see movement below you, and hear rustling. You peer out from your place upon the branches of the tree, looking to see what the rustling was. 

Oh. 

_Those guys._

You see Red walking around with a bundle of sticks in his arms, tossing them into a pile. His flower crown is, once again, lopsided and wonky, but he seems not to mind. 

And then there’s the other guy: Edge. That jerk. He’s in the process of attempting (and failing) to set up a tent. Each time he stands back and thinks he’s got the structure set up correctly, it falls in on itself, and Edge throws his hands up in the air, exasperated. You stifle a giggle, then a thought pops into your head. 

_Revenge._

You look around you and- 

Hah! 

Acorns! 

You sift your fingers through the abundant number of nuts, picking them up and eyeing them. They’d make good projectiles. You looked and yep! You still had your bag. Carefully, you opened it and dug through it, looking for your slingshot--

Aha, there it is. 

You weren’t normally one to incite violence or hurt anyone, but. Well. Edge deserved it. 

You murmured a prayer to the forest before you picked up any acorns to shoot Edge with. You felt Bush Bird would be pleased with you whacking Edge with them, but asking didn’t hurt. When you felt you had permission, you got into position, aiming your slingshot and placing an acorn in the pouch, pulling the string back and….

_You released the string_. 

The projectile shot forward, hurtling through the air, and towards Edge’s skull. It connected with it’s target’s forehead, resounding with a satisfying _thunk._

Edge _screeched._

You stifled another giggle and ducked behind the branches of the tree, holding your shooter close to your chest. You pinned your ears back so they wouldn’t be seen, pressing your knuckles to your lips to prevent yourself from bursting into laughter. When you heard Edge get back to work with a loud growl, you plucked another acorn from the pile and aimed it at the skeleton, following him as he moved… 

There! 

You released, and _t h u n k,_ it connected once again. At this rate, you could be a ranger! 

You hid again as Edge roared, looking around for whatever was shooting him. 

“WHOEVER IS DOING THAT, COME OUT!” 

“It’s _probably_ the _forest_ which is _mad at us_ for being _rude_ and making the druid _cry,”_ growled Red, tossing another bundle of sticks into his pile. 

“IT’S NOT _MY_ FAULT THEY ARE WEAK!” 

“they saved our lives, boss!” 

“I COULD HAVE DONE THE SAME WITHOUT THEIR HELP,” Replied the skeleton. You lobbed another acorn at his skull. He yelped. 

“you’re pissing off the forest!” 

To prove Red’s point, you muttered under your breath and summoned some vines, making them wrap around Edge’s staff, which leaned against a tree. The vines tugged the metal staff away, and you could feel the cold, phantom feeling of metal against your skin. It made you shiver, but still, you kept dragging the staff away. Your tongue stuck out a little in concentration, your brows set. You were going to mess with this man if it was the last thing you did. He deserved it-- 

“MY STAFF!!” Screeched Edge, plowing forward towards the object. A bit frightened for the wellbeing of the plants, you made them slither away, and dropped your hand. The staff clattered to the ground loudly, and Edge swiped it up and cradled it in his arms, cooing at it like it was his child. 

“maybe if ya weren’t such an _ass_ ,” Red suggested, “the forest wouldn’t try to steal ya shit.” 

“HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU--” Edge stamped towards the smaller skeleton, who stood his ground. An arm raised into the air, palm flat and--

Oh _Gods,_

_No-_

Red flinched back. 

_You didn’t mean for this to happen._

An image flitted in your mind, a memory. 

A tall human dressed in a dark cloak, standing over a small elven child, arm raised, devilish grin upon his face. 

You yelped, and the skeleton’s gazes glanced up at you. Edge quickly lowered his arm back down to his side. 

“YOU’RE AWAKE, DRUID.” 

You whimpered in response, cowering in the tree. Your breath quickened as memories rushed your mind. 

“I APOLOGISE FOR WAKING YOU,” He growled, and stalked away. Red kept looking at you, bone brows raised. He glanced at his brother once or twice, before looking back at you.

“ya okay up there?” 

“Down.” you choked. 

The height was suddenly too much. It reminded you of..

That place. 

You whimpered again. 

“aight, kid. gunna use some magic, real quick, kay?” 

You nodded. 

A barbarian using magic raised some questions in your mind, but you supposed it wasn’t unheard of. And, besides, your mind was preoccupied with trying to steady itself. 

Red raised his hands, and a warmth that smelled like cayenne and bell peppers surrounded you, lifting you further into the air. You yelped loudly, and the magic wavered. 

“oi, kiddo, try not to move, aight? Don’t wanna drop ya.” 

_Oh, how you wished he hadn’t said that._

Your body stiffened at those words, like a dog cowering at it’s master. Doing _exactly_ what he said. Though it had been years, things like that just-- 

They didn’t sit well with you. 

You were set gently on the ground. 

“kid, ya okay?” the skeleton asked, approaching you.

You nodded quickly, too quickly, and squeezed your eyes shut. 

“ya don’t need t’ worry,” he says, shuffling over and placing a hand on your shoulder, “edge just gets a lil’ angry at times.” 

You mumble under your breath, something even you yourself don’t comprehend. How he could be so okay with almost getting hit was beyond you. 

“he’s jus’ mad that th’ forest is mad it ‘im an’ messin’ wit’ him. an’ that y’ saved ‘im without violence. ‘e’s still tryna figure out how y’ did that.” 

You smile a little bit. 

But.. 

You don’t feel it right to tell Red that you’re the one who almost got him hit. 

Was that technically lying? 

At this point, you could be a rogue, with how sneaky you were being. You… didn’t know how to feel about that. 

“an’ t’ be honest, me too.” 

You glance up at the skeleton. He’s looking forward wistfully. It made sense. He was a barbarian. That’s how they lived; violently. 

“It was just basic druid things.” you shrugged. It really was. 

“really?” 

You nod. Speak was one of the first things a druid learned. And, in some places, even non-druids could learn it. 

“You spoke to a magic chicken-” 

“Bush Bird. It’s the spirit of this forest. Be nice. Don’t call it a chicken.”

“fine, fine-” Red chuckled, giving a roll of his eyelights. 

“y’ sure like that cock, huh?” he asks, giving you a nudge with his elbow. 

You raise your eyebrows. 

What did he mean by that? It was one of those jokes of his you didn't really understand.

“The Bush Bird isn’t a rooster? I just told you not to call it a chicken?” 

Red snickers and gives you a pat on the head. His spiked grin tugs up his face, and his teeth glint in the light. 

“don’ worry about it, kiddo.” 

You give a confused tilt of your head. 

Edge curses aloud at the other end of the small clearing, his tent falling in on itself again. 

“do ya, perhaps, know how t’ set up a tent, elfy?” 

“Uh. Does he not?” 

“apparently not.” 

You giggle. 

“Yeah. I know.” 

“do me a favor n’ help ‘im?”

You sigh, not sure about how to feel about being near the skeleton right now. 

“he won’t hurt ya. he knows better.” 

He shoots you a smile that.. Seems to be reassuring. It’s odd, because it looks really spiky compared to most ‘reassuring smiles’ you had experienced. Those being Grillby’s toothless smiles. 

He offers you a hand to help you up. You eye his hand, and remember what you felt the first time you had touched his hand. Instead, you grab his wrist, which was covered by his fluffier cloak, giving him a softer feeling. 

You heaved yourself up and shot him a smile, then, slowly, padded over to Edge. 

The tall skeleton bares his teeth at you. 

“U-uh,” you squeak, pointing awkwardly at his tent. 

“WHAT, DRUID, HERE TO HIT ME WITH A SPEAR AGAIN?” 

“No.” you mutter. You were regretting agreeing to help already. 

“THEN WHAT DO YOU WANT.” The Edge grunts, picking up the clumsy bits of his tent. 

“Here to help you with your tent.” you say, feeling ever so _tiny_ next to him. You barely came up to his elbow! 

He huffed in response. 

“First,” you point out, “even if you got this one to work, you wouldn’t fit, your feet would stick out the end.”

He blinked. 

“You’re gonna need longer sticks.” 

He looks into the woods and sighs. 

“IT TOOK TOO LONG TO FIND THOSE ONES!” 

“That’s because you weren’t looking in the right spots. You stuck to the trail. Uh,” you glance back at Red, who gives you a thumbs up, “come with me. We’ll find you some better sticks.” 

The skeleton crossed his arms across his chest, huffing loudly. 

You looked up at him and tried to smile, but.. It really felt like he despised you. He didn’t seem so bad when you first set out with him. Heck, you’d even say he was nice! But now… you don’t know what happened.

You padded awkwardly into the denser part of the woods. You were still worried that he would break his ankle, so you kept looking back at him. Each time you did, his glowering got more and more intense. 

You shook it away. 

Steeling your nerve and balling your fists, you walked ahead. 

“Alright, Edge, look for sticks at least as long as your arm.” you announce, gesturing to the large amounts of sticks on the ground. They varied in size, and most were small compared to the skeleton, but there were some that were adequate. You pretended to dig through the sticks, though, really, you weren’t looking for sticks. Sneaky, you were, and so you would make Edge do the work. 

“FOUND ONE!” Edge yelled, holding up a relatively long stick. Its was a little wiggly, but otherwise straight. 

“Great! Now find four more.” 

The skeleton growled. 

\--- 

You returned with more sticks than needed for one tent. You had insisted that Edge get sticks for Red’s tent, and, with a few well-placed strokes to his ego, you got him to comply. You hated doing that, manipulating people, but Edge really needed to be nice. Even if he thought it was for his own gain, he needed to be nice. 

But, instead of seeing Red doing things like you had expected, he was asleep in the stick pile, snoring away. 

You both blinked. 

Then Edge went up to Red and kicked him square in the ribcage. 

“GET UP, YOU LAZYBONES!” shouted the taller skeleton. You heard a faint crack, and you weren’t sure if it was the sticks or something else. 

“Hey! What was that for?” you exclaim, approaching the pair. Red had shot up from the pile, growling up at his bothersome brother. 

“THE LAZYBONES WAS SLEEPING WHEN HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PRODUCTIVE!” 

“He’s tired!” 

“HE’S ALWAYS TIRED!” 

“we’ve been walkin’ for hours!” 

“I KNOW! I’M NOT TIRED!” 

“You’re lucky I don’t have my spear, or I would whack you,” you grumbled, stepping between the two, “you can set up your own tent. Meanie.” 

You stuck your tongue out at him for good measure. He… did the same? 

Ew. 

Gross. 

You turned back to Red and raised your eyebrows. Behind you, Edge stalked away with a growl. 

“”m okay. he does it all th’ time--” 

You were already lifting up his chestplate to look for damage. 

You were frustrated with Edge’s jerkiness, and weren’t really in the mood for talking. 

Under the metal and hide was an assortment of nicks and scrapes upon exposed bone, some fresh, some old, some deep, some shallow. From what you had seen, you wondered how many of these were from others, and how many were from fighting.

One was clearly a lot more fresh than the other, with the tiniest of cracks. It was right under the hide part of his armor, so it made sense to be there. 

“eager t’ get me undressed, huh, kiddo?” 

You raised your brow. 

“I’m not undressing you. Assessing the damage.” 

You touch the cracked rib. 

Red’s breath hitched. 

“It hurt?” 

“among other things.” the skeleton grunts, flushing slightly… red. You shrug and look back at the small wound. 

“y’know, it’ll heal on it’s own.” 

“I was brought along to heal, so that’s what I’m doing. Think good things.” 

Red snorted, though stiffened again as you wrapped a hand around the wound. Your hand glowed a little, and so did the bone. 

Huh. 

Would his bone turn green? 

You took your hand away and--

Yup. 

Green. 

You giggled. 

“what? what’s up?” 

“You’re green now.” you giggle. 

“green?“ 

You nod, and point. He lifts the chestplate to get a better look--

“im fuckin green.” 

“magic thing,” you grin, twiddling your now-green hands. 

“i’m a goblin now.” 

You snicker and step away, patting off your legs.

“Do you know how to make a tent?” you ask. 

“Nope.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDGE I SWEAR IM GOING TO BEAT YOU YOU MEANIE HEAD >:00000000000
> 
> grump grump
> 
> i might take a little break from writing to rest bc wooooooo life has been a disaster lately 
> 
> but i hope ur having a nice day <3
> 
> Edit: Edge is now a Sorcerer bc i did some research lmao


	6. Late Night Dancin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> while calming yourself down in the woods, you hear something... and meet two kewl doods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: small anxiety attack. tried to keep it as small as possible. ill put a break in the chapter in case you want to skip it tho 
> 
> have a nice day!

It was now late at night, and you and Red were situated on a log you both had lugged to the campsite, a fire situated before you. The flames danced and flickered, and reminded you of Grillby’s hair. You refrained from touching it, though. Edge, grumpy, had finally finished his tent, and had gone to bed without a word. You huffed, caring less about the mean skeleton. 

In your lap sat your book of Druidic Healing. Red had looked over your shoulder in an attempt to see what you were reading, but looked away when he didn’t recognise the language. 

Red had, instead, pressed close to the warmth, twiddling them before the light.

You had given him a snack of yours, a bar of honeyed oats and tiny chocolate bits. When you explained it to the skeleton, he quickly tossed it into his maw, chomping the bar down and swallowing. 

“That’s fuggin’ good,” he grins, giving you a thumbs up. You rolled your eyes and flicked a piece of oat off of the bridge of his nose, to which he blushed about. You figured maybe you shouldn’t mention the smears of honey and chocolate on his teeth. 

“Thanks, I, uh, bought them.” 

He guffawed at your awkward response, patting you on the back. He quickly took his hand back when he noticed your flinch. 

You both sat awkwardly before the fire some while longer.

“why’d y’ become a druid?” asked Red, randomly. You looked at him curiously. 

“What do you mean?” 

“why’d y’ choose t’ be a druid. why not a ranger or somethin’?” 

“Because, the forest and nature is my favorite thing. It sounds dumb, but I spent too long without the sun, and decided i wanted to live my life serving everything that lived under it. And so, I'm a druid.” you tapped your chin, feeling as though you should explain what being a druid actually entailed, “druids are nature’s healers, we live to preserve it, and strive to protect it from those who wish to cause it harm, particularly the undead and such aberrations. Like beholders and such. We aren’t masters of nature, mind you, just extensions of it’s will, like a cleric to a god.” 

“Our powers get stronger within the forest, you’ll be pleased to know. We start with simple things, controlling vines and plants, conversing with life within the forest-- like what I did with the Bush Bird-- and a little bit of herbal alchemy. Small healing spells. That’s where I’m at, now. Eventually, i’ll be able to transform into creatures-- I can do that a little now, but not very well-- and converse with stronger and more powerful beings. Cure diseases-- everything except curses and hexes.” 

You smiled at Red, who was just sitting there, listening to you talk. 

“Why’d you become a barbarian?” you ask. Red grimaced at this, hands clenching in on themselves. 

“i didn’t exactly choose. I…” he sighs, giving a shrug and a heavy sigh. 

“When i was younger, a lil babybones, i didn’t have much an interest in anythin’, not fightin’, not magic, not much but keepin’ my bro safe and makin’ sure he grew up strong.” he glances over at Edge’s floppy tent, his eye sockets laced with a sudden weariness, “but, as we grew up, I was havin’ t’ do more an’ more t’ protect ‘im. He was becomin’ a strong sorcerer, an’ he didn’t want a classless bro to ‘sully his name,’ and so, i became a barbarian. It was th’ easiest thing t’ do. knights n’ paladins ‘r too honorific fer my tastes, but i ain’t quick enuff t’ be a rogue. healin’ wus off th’ table, an’ i was terrible wit’ a bow. so, i became a barbarian.” 

You nod. 

“Makes sense to me. Though, you could still change. There is no shame in being classless.” 

“That’s where yer problem is, kiddo,” he sighs, “where i come from, bein’ without class means yer weak. An’ ye don’t wanna be weak.” 

You blanched at that, taken aback. 

“Weak? But, if most others have a class, then going without one, without a group to place yourself in and going life alone, would make you stronger than the others.” 

Red threw his skull back in a loud, barking laugh. 

“ye’d think.” 

“But, still, you’re no longer where you used to be. You can change, if you wanted to.” 

Red shrugged. 

“edge wouldn’t be happy ‘bout that.” 

“He is a jerk..” you mutter. 

“Yeah.” 

“He was nice at the tavern, though. What changed?” 

“Y’ showed ‘im up.” 

You quirked your head. 

“He’s struggled with the concept a’ druids. Doesn’t understand how they c’n go around bein’ nice t’ everythin. an you- well. yer crazy, in ‘is eye sockets. makin’ flower crowns an’ just _talkin’_ t’ this random arboreal avian instead a’ fightin’ it.” 

“But how did I show him up?” 

“fightin’ is what e’s known his whole life. Peace is kinda outta the question for ‘im, so you solvin’ our problems like that, an’ him not doin’ anything is somethin’ he’s not familiar with.”

“Ooooohhh.. I’m sorry. I.. I didn’t mean to make him feel bad.” 

You feel the skeleton scruffle your head, chuckling. 

“Yer fine, kiddo, he had to learn at some point, yeah?” 

“I guess, but, still. I didn’t realise how I made him feel, and them chastised him for it.” 

“you’re really bad at realisin’ somethin’ ain’t yer fault, arentcha?” 

You chuckle and scratch the back of your neck. 

“Hey, kid,” Red says, trying to get your attention. You look up. 

“What do th’ numbers ninety-two and seven mean?” 

You flinch, scooting down the log, away from the monster, and cover your ears with your hands, pinning them back against your head. How’d he know what the notches meant? Why? Did he--

* * *

* * *

You start breathing faster.

“Hey, hey, kiddo, what’s wrong?” he asks, worry etched onto his skull, “y’ don’t havta answer, kiddo, ‘m sorry for askin’” 

“How do you know what they mean-” you choke. 

“uh, i used t’ work on a hog farm way back when. right ear is the litter number and the left is the pig number-- er, not sayin yer a pig-- first i thought they were just normal scars n’ stuff, but they’re too smooth t’ be-” 

“Okay, okay, stoppit, i-” 

“yep.” the skeleton replied, jaw snapping shut with an audible click. He glanced away as you stood. 

“I- i’m gonna go into the woods.” you whisper, just loud enough for him to hear. 

“It’s dark, though, kid,” Red squeaked, sounding worried, “y’ might get lost.” 

“I’ll be okay. I’ll be back by the time the sun is in the middle of the sky,” 

“but--” 

You walked away and let his words fade, still covering your ears, hustling into the forest. 

You drug your hands over your face, squeezing your eyes shut, huffing and breathing heavily. Mentions of your ears were.. Not your favorite. They were what Grillby called a ‘trigger’ 

* * *

* * *

You constantly tried to get over it, tried to ignore it but, well, it never worked. In fact, it made the episodes worse. You realized that walking away was usually the best option. Usually. Thank goodness this was one of those times. 

You padded away from the campsite, letting your eyes adjust to the darkness as the light of the fire disappeared. 

In your chest, you felt a little pang, letting you know that when you return, you should apologise to Red. He didn’t do anything wrong. You felt maybe you should return, maybe, but your nerves were too alive to look him in the eye sockets. You’d have to calm down before you came back. 

You kept walking til you couldn’t smell the smoke anymore, crunching over sticks and soft dirt. In your peripheral vision, you saw dainty-footed does who lifted their heads and curiously watched you as you crawled onto a tree stump, lifting yourself onto the fat, circular surface. You folded your legs and sighed, placing your hands in your lap. Maybe some good ol’ forest meditation would do you well. 

You sat there awhile, your hands on your knees, trying to clear your mind, but you just kept thinking. With a grumble, you shuffled atop the tree stump. 

You grit your jaw and thought, fuck it-- a thought you didn’t often think-- and began to hum. If anything, this would make the forest glad to have you around, maybe make things a little less hard. Forests liked music. And, while you weren’t good at it, you could still put forth a well-intentioned effort. 

There were a few elven songs you knew that doubled as spells to calm one down, as well. You decided on your childhood favorite. It had no specific name, but, then again, many things didn’t. You sung. 

Your voice haunted through the forest as you sang in your first language, clear though quiet. To other elves, it would be a happy and upbeat song, but to other folk, it would probably be a little creepy. Sometimes, you forgot the words of the childhood song, but you just shrugged and continued on. In the distance, you heard something.

Not something bad, no, it sounded like.. the strumming of a lute? Or, perhaps, a mandolin? 

There were few things that held such instruments within a forest. Could be Fae, Spirit, another Elf, or a Bard. 

These things were usually good, but why would one be playing an instrument this late at night? Maybe they heard you singing? 

You stopped your singing and clambered off the stump. Unsurprisingly, the instrument continued to play even without a voice to help it along. 

You followed the sound and, soon, you saw orange light between the trees. Fire? 

You approached, quietly, sticking close to the trees. 

Two figures sat around a dancing flame. 

Skeletons? 

They looked kind of like Red and Edge, but.. Different. Softer.

One, a short one that looked like Red, but with blunt teeth and a kinder smile, was dancing happily, bouncing around the clearing and happily bobbing his head to the other skeleton’s strumming, laughing and giggling. He appeared to be a cleric, with an off-the-shoulder blue and gold robe. The other skeleton, who looked like a softer version Edge, leaned up against a tree, strumming a mandolin with a lazy smile across their face. He had a pale orange cloak sitting on his shoulders (but their arms weren’t in the sleeves?), and a big, equally orange, floppy-brimmed bycocket hat sat in his lap. In his arms, he cradled a lute, strumming a happy tune, watching the skeleton dance around the clearing.

The shorter skeleton glanced up from his dancing and locked eyes with you. Your eyes widened as you ducked behind a tree. 

“BROTHER!” he said, happily, “DID YOU SEE THAT?” 

“see what, bro?” 

“There Was Something In The Woods!” 

“there was?” 

“Keep Playing, Keep Playing, Stretch,” urged the little skeleton. 

“alright, calm down, bro,” there was a chuckle as the lute strumming started up again. It was the same as before, except… 

There was some kind of _Intent._

You could hear it in the melody, like it was speaking. Definitely a Bard. 

_come on out._

_dance._

_we won’t hurt ya._

You paused. 

Only more powerful bards could display such strong Intent in their music… 

You tried to resist, keep your feet in place, but oh--

It sounded so nice. 

You peeled yourself from the tree and padded, slowly, looked back at the skeletons. The little skeleton had resumed dancing, looking at you. He spun around and hopped happily, tapping his toes on the ground. He held his hands out for you to take. You approached and, carefully, linked his hands with yours. They were clad in soft gloves that cradled your fingers. Soon, you joined in his little dance, stamping your feet and twirling him around. The little skeleton kept glancing at the other one, who smiled and strummed the lute. There was less Intent now, but still just enough to create a happy air. 

You were laughing, now, such a change from just a little bit ago, when you felt on the verge of a breakdown. 

Eventually, you extended your hand to the lute-playing Bard, who gave you a look. 

“COME ON, BROTHER!” The small skeleton exclaimed. 

“i ain’t much of a dancer, elfy,” he chuckled. Hadn’t the shorter one called him Stretch? You pouted and stuck your hand out again.

“can’t play n’ dance at the same time.” he shrugs. You frown. He was right. 

You pouted some more, then faced the cleric again. You were the one to extend your hand this time, inviting him to dance once again. He giggles and takes your hand in his.

Eventually, you both collapse on the ground, panting and laughing, tired out from your feverous dancing. 

“He.. hehe.. what’re you doing, playing the lute so late at night, Sir Bard?” 

You held high respect for bards. You could never play any instruments very well, yourself, so the fact that bards could play so well was mind-blowing to you. 

“call me stretch,” chuckled the skeleton, placing the lute to the side, “and I heard some singing, so i just started playing and blue, over here, just started dancing.” 

“WE’VE BEEN HERE A WEEK BECAUSE STRETCH GOT US LOST--” 

“shshsh don’t tell them that, blue--” 

“A week?” You ask, propping yourself up on your elbows, “how? I’d think the spirits of the woods would show you out by now.” 

“maybe they really like me and my lute,” Stretch chuckles, grinning lopsidedly and kind smugly, patting his lute. Blue-- that’s his name, right?-- tosses a small rock at his skull. But, not hard. Nice rock throwing. Unlike how you’d expect Edge to throw a rock at Red.

“Well, where are you headed? Maybe I can help.”

“WE’RE GOING TO THE BIG CITY!” Squeals Blue, grinning widely. 

“Really?” Blue nods excessively, “That’s ironic. Me too!” 

“WOWIE!!” 

“really? you don’t live in these woods?” Stretch questions with a tilt of his head. 

You blink. 

“No? I’m travelling with a small party.” 

Stretch blinks. 

“oh.” 

“HEY, YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE A GREAT IDEA?” 

You tilt your head. 

“WE CAN TRAVEL TOGETHER, US AND YOUR PARTY!” 

What was it with skeletons and offering to travel with you within minutes of meeting? 

Well. 

At least these ones seemed nice? 

They weren’t as scary as the others, either. 

“speakin’ of,” Stretch grunted, adjusting himself against the tree, “what’s the class of your party members?” 

“Uh, a Barbarian and a Sorcerer.” 

A pregnant pause. 

“how are you guys not dead yet.” 

“I have no clue, honestly. We’ve only been in here one day and we already got threatened.” 

“It was the Sorcerer, wasn’t it?” asks Stretch.

“Yeah,” you sigh, “how’d you know?” 

“most of the sorcerers i know are jerks.” 

“BE NICE!” Blue shouts. 

“it’s true, bro,” 

“I KNOW, BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO SAY IT,” Blue exclaims, exasperated. It makes you giggle. 

“you’re a druid, right?” asks the bard. You nod.

“mm. cute.” 

You blink-- did he just------

“SO? CAN WE? PLEASE?” 

“can you what?” you ask, confused. 

“JOIN YOUR PARTY! JUST UNTIL WE REACH OUR DESTINATION!”

Oh, yeah, that-

Well, you supposed it couldn’t hurt, right? Bards and Clerics were known to be one of the more kind classes. (unlike SOME CLASSES ) 

“Um. well. The, uh, Sorcerer might not like it, but I could care less what he thinks right now.. So.. yeah, I guess,” you shrug. 

“WOWIE!!!” Blue squeals, throwing himself into your arms. You squeaked as he hugged you. 

“I’M GONNA GO TO SLEEP, NOW, ELF! GOOD NIGHT!” 

“Uh, good night, Blue,” you say, waving at him as he scampers up to the tent that sits in the clearing. 

You quirk your brows at Stretch, who’s just looking at you. 

“hi?” 

“what were ya doin’ out n’ about so late at night?” 

“Oh- Uh, needed a moment to myself, away from my party. To wind down, I suppose you could say.”

You purposefully kept it vague; he didn’t need to know you were having an attack. 

“Stressed?” he asked, “that was one of them spell songs.” 

“You knew what I was saying?” 

“at the bards college, we were taught to recognise different languages and ‘intents within’ and whatnot. i didn’t know what you were saying, just knew what th’ song was saying”

Huh. Bards colleges could be useful. 

“If you ever need a lesson, i could teach you,” you joke, with a little smile. 

“heh. nah, common is hard enough.” 

“Is that your second tongue?” 

“nope, it’s my only tongue,” he grinned, then opened his jaw, letting an orange, translucent tongue drop out. 

Pfft. Gross. 

He put it back and you both continued to talk and chat, late into the night, about random, silly things, until you drifted off to sleep, propped up against a log. 

Bards and Clerics could always be a good thing, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When i was coming up with this,,, blue was not a cleric,,, but when i went and sketch outfits,,, that's what ended up happening and i tried to change it but he was so cute and i couldn't lmfao
> 
> ALSO. 
> 
> STRETCH.
> 
> HORNY BARD OR NO? I CANT DECIDE. 
> 
> have a nice day! :3
> 
> Edit: Edge is Now a Sorcerer bc i did some research lmao


	7. When You Leave Camp And Come Back With Two Skeletons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Cleric and Bard meet the Warlock (now sorcerer lol) and the Barbarian!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
> 
> i meant to say something for these beginning notes but :v i forgot
> 
> Made Edge a Sorcerer bc i did some research lmaoF

You woke in an unfamiliar place, propped up against a log and near a burnt-out fire. You heard footsteps, crunching casually around the little campsite. 

With a half-asleep groan, you pushed yourself up and blinked, yawning. You saw two skeletons, but neither were Red or Edge. Who--

Oh. Wait. Yeah, you remember, now. The tall bard is Stretch and the little Cleric is Blue! They’re part of your party, as of last night. wow. you really did make impulsive decisions in the evening.

“OH! HELLO, DRUID,” the little cleric says, bouncing up to you, “YOU’RE AWAKE! WE LET YOU SLEEP IN A LITTLE, BUT WE’RE JUST ABOUT READY TO GO!” 

“Stretch--” you yawn again, but point with a limp wrist at the Bard, “looks half asleep,” 

The skeleton was trudging around the clearing, eye sockets half-lidded, his jacket wrapped around him like a blanket, yawning even more than you. 

“WELL, HE’S NOT USUALLY UP AT THIS TIME...” 

You look up to see what time it is, and your eyes widen. You curse under your breath and Blue raises a bone brow. 

“WHAT’S WRONG?” 

“The Bush Bird, Spirit of this forest and whatnot, threatened me-- mainly the sorcerer and barbarian, actually, and said we had to be gone by the time the sun is in the middle of the sky today and it is _almost that time--_ ”

The sun was currently almost right above, beaming brightly and warmly down on the world, but not yet there. Which was good, yes, but also bad because you were not gone yet, and the others were probably also not gone yet. 

“I’m sorry but I gotta go--” you squeak, looking around like some kind of goblin.

“really? geez- well-- okay, shit- let me- okay-” Stretch puts his lute over his shoulder, picking up a staff from the ground and tosses it at Blue, gently, who catches it in his hands. 

“WE’RE ALMOST READY!” shouts Blue, facing you, “I’VE JUST GOT TO MAKE SURE THE FIRE IS OUT-” 

“it is,” nods Stretch, skittering over, to you and his brother. You give a nod and turn around on your heel, gesturing to them to follow. You push into the woods and out of the clearing, glancing about before scrambling back the way you came, looking back to make sure the skeletons are following. Blue’s right on your heels while Stretch, on the other hand, lags behind a little, smacking his teeth together and somehow making the noise of tired lip smacking, which was odd, because he didn’t have lips? You decided not to question it. 

The forest is pretty in the afternoons. At least, as far as you’re concerned. Light streams past and through the leaves in little tunnels, wiggling and dancing like you and Blue had last night. You resist the urge to stop still and look up and just observe, plowing forward and crunching over the dry leaves on the ground. You had a party to get to, no time to observe the scenery! 

Quickly, you stumble upon the stump you sat on last night, give it a pat, and change direction, making a beeline for the camp you settled at with Red and Edge. 

You heard Red shout in the close distance, and some sticks breaking. You sigh and press on and, eventually, yup, there’s the camp, not packed up at all. Red glances at you and grins. 

“kid! there ya are! i was worried for a bit," He looks at your ears, but looks away quickly, "but i woke up an' th’ fuckin’ leaf bird was snuggled up ta’ me like a dog-- where th’ shit did ya find them.” 

It seems he only just now notices the existence of the other two skeletons. 

“They were in the woods last night this is Stretch The Bard and Blue The Cleric and they’re going to travel with us to the big city hurry up and start packing up, Red, before the bird tries to kill us-” 

_I Won’t Kill You,_ The Bush Bird titters, shaking itself and ruffling it's leaves, _Or The Cleric. Or The Bard. I Like His Music. And The Barbarian Is Nice And Soft. I Might Just Annoy Him. Hm. Can’t Say Much About The Rude Sorcerer, Though._

“Well, okay, let’s hurry before the Bird kills Edge, please--” 

“I COULD KILL THE BIRD WAY BEFORE IT KILLS ME--” 

“Edge! Shush!” you shout, lifting your spear up from it’s place against the tree, then picking up and tossing Edge’s surprisingly cold staff at him, “We are _not_ harming the Bird!” 

Stretch and Blue were just staring at you three, blinking slowly. You give them your kindest smile and turn to Red, who’s picking at a leaf on the dirt floor of the clearing. 

“Red-- Did you-- did you sleep on the ground?” 

“yeah.. forgot my bedroll.. er, somewhere.” he said, sheepishly looking away and scratching the back of his skull, then shooting you a sharp grin. You sigh and gesture at your bag, which had your bedroll _literally_ right next to it. 

“oh- uh- i… didn’t see that?” 

You sigh heavily, grabbing the bag and hefting it over your shoulder, adjusting the roll of cloth that Red had forgotten you had. You dig in it quickly for a strip of cloth to tie around your head. You could feel Red’s gaze on your ears when he thought you weren’t looking, which made you… especially uncomfortable, especially since, well. Last night. You shook your head, both to rid yourself of the memory and to make sure the cloth would stay. 

“We need to be gone soon,” you say, changing the subject.

_Before I Peck The Sorcerer Eye Out-- Wait. He Doesn’t Have Eyes._

You shoot a look at the Bush Bird, who’s now twittering to itself about eyeballs and body parts and ‘kids these days’

It pads off to the edge of the clearing, seemingly having some sort of existential crisis, bonking it’s triangular head against a tree. 

Taking this moment, you help Red up, poke Edge with your spear and tell him to hurry up, apologise to the Bard and Cleric for being a disaster and also being a terrible person, then step on the fire pit to kill the last remaining embers. 

Once the chaos subsides and everything is packed up, albeit terribly, you stand and sigh, looking at all four skeletons

“Alright, you four, time to go! Follow me! We are going…” you look at the Bush Bird for directions. It seemed to have recovered from it’s crisis, returning to the middle of the clearing, where you and the others stood. 

_West. Also, You’ve Got About Thirty Minutes Until I Send Every Creature In This Forest-- Including Myself-- To Possibly Murder Your Sorcerer._

“AW! IT SOUNDS SO CUTE!” Squeals the little Cleric.

“Mhm!” you don’t bother mentioning it’s threats of murder, “It says we’ll go west.” 

You point, for emphasis, in case the others don’t get it. Beside you, you can see the Bush Bird sticking it’s leafy wing out, pointing west as well. Blue giggles, entertained by the spirit’s actions. 

You look at the Bird, give a sweet wave, then start to head west, gesturing for the skeletons to follow. But, when Edge decided _he_ wanted to take the lead, you give him a look, your brows tense, hands on your hips, lips creased into a flat line. You place your hand on the spear on your back, though you have no intention of using it. He doesn’t know that, though. 

“Back of the line, Edge,” you frown. The tallest skeleton opens his mandible to say something, but snaps it shut, giving you a stare that can only be described as alike to stiletto daggers being stuck into your skin. He’s looking at you with some kind of anger- but you’re not going to budge. He’s a jerk and needs to learn his place! Right? 

With a huff, you stare twice as hard at the scarred Sorcerer, who’s arms are folded across his chest. 

“Back of the line, Edge, we gotta get going. And I promise,” you grunt, trying to stand your ground, something you’re _very_ unfamiliar with, “you, uh, do not want me to tell your new boss or whatever that you got beat up by forest creatures.” 

“oh shit,” muttered Red, small grin tugging at his skull as he peeked out from behind his ridiculously tall brother.

“yeesh, that’s hard,” whispers Stretch, leaning back a little to whistle loudly. Blue was just watching, bone brows raised inquisitively, eyelights darting between you and the taller. Edge, with a slightly-amused, slightly embarrassed, possibly impressed-- you could only hope-- huff, turned quickly on his heel, muttering under his breath. Breath? Skeletons don’t breathe… do they? 

He, to your delight, however, went to the back of the line of skeletons, settling behind Stretch with a large frown on his skull. You weren’t sure if it was his normal frown or a different one, but, nevermind that, you had to get _out of there_ , because despite what you said, you’d rather Edge not get beat up by forest creatures. You didn’t want to have to employ or test Blue’s skills just literal hours into meeting him. 

You take your arms from their place on your hips and turn, straightening them and turning to walk- or, rather, march- west once again, raising your legs high and stamping them down. It was kind of how Edge walked, but much less graceful and majestic, and a whole lot more clumsy and uncoordinated. 

As the edge of the forest approached, you sighed loudly, grateful that you made it out in time. 

When you stepped out of the woods, you spread your arms, letting the sun hit you now that you were out in the open, savoring the warmth. The four skeletons spread out around you, in pairs with their respective brothers, watching the other two warily. 

“so, kiddo, who’re these two, again? ne’er got a chance t’ properly meet ‘em.” 

You blink dumbly, before shaking your head, equally dumbly, and sticking your pointer finger in the air. 

“Right! So,” you scamper over to Blue, giving him a pat on the top of his skull, “This is Blue! He’s a Cleric, and he’s very nice!” 

“HI! I’M BLUE, THE CLERIC!” the little skeleton smiles and waves, then sticking his boney hand out for the others to shake. Edge regards him with a judgy, rude glare, but luckily, Red comes in to save the day by shaking the shorter skeleton’s hand quickly, grip firm. 

“And, this tol boy,” you gesture up at Stretch, who was staring into the distance until you said his name, “is Stretch. He’s a Bard who plays very nice music!” 

Edge grits his jaw, looking the slightly-shorter skeleton up and down. Stretch does the same, except a little less rudely. 

As the two tall skeletons stare at each other, you awkwardly move on to Red, standing behind him and placing your hands on his shoulders, peeking out from behind him like a gopher, which was a lil hard because he was a lot taller than you. You had to stand on your tiptoes a little. The Barbarian glances at you from the corner of his eye sockets curiously.

“This is Red! He’s a Barbarian, and is also very nice, and makes jokes I don’t understand,” you give him a little pat on the shoulder, before scooting back. 

“jokes?” Stretch asks, taking his gaze from Edge to Red. 

“jokes.” Red confirms, with a curt nod. Then, they both grin at each other. Their respective brothers groan, just a little. 

You don’t bother to get near Edge, but instead opt to gesture vaguely at him. 

“This is Edge. A Sorcerer. Pretty rude, and not nice.”

Edge glances down at you, but not for long. He sets his shoulders and puffs out his chest like some kind of bird trying to make itself look cooler. 

“so how’d you get the forest so mad at you guys? i know it was the sorcerer over here, but… how?” Stretch questions, eyeing Edge some more. Before Edge could open his jaw to talk, you interrupted so you could get the story straight. 

“Basically, Edge was being rude to everything, and then a bird landed on Red’s skull, and Edge scared it away very meanly, and then the Bush Bird came along and threatened us.” You explain, pinching the bridge of your nose. 

“THE FOREST IS TOO SENSITIVE. IT WAS JUST A BIRD,” grumbled Edge, arms folded across his armor-clad chest. 

“you realize the forest already didn’t like you because you were a sorcerer, right?” Stretch asks, raising a bone brow and cocking his hip, chuckling just a little as he laid down the cold, hard facts. 

“I HAD PRESUMED IT WAS JUST MYTH--” 

“That’s also something he did. He doesn’t listen to a word I say,” you sigh. 

Blue winces audibly, looking up at Edge with a little shake of his skull. 

“YOU SHOULD ALWAYS LISTEN TO THE DRUID! ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU’RE IN A FOREST.”

“yeah, kid, i got no idea how these two ain’t dead.” Stretch says, swinging an arm around your shoulders and leaning against you, even though he was _freaking h e a v y,_ “pretty sure you’re the only reason they’re alive,” 

“c’n definitely attest t’ that.” Red nods, sidling up to you on your other side, nudging you with his shoulder, grinning and sticking his hands into his pockets, which you didn’t know he had, “should ask th’ kid t’ make you a flower crown. saved m’ life.” 

“flower crown?” Stretch asks, and you gasp. 

“How come you skeletons don’t know what flower crowns are?”

“no clue, sweetheart,” Stretch chuckles. 

“IS IT PRETTY?” 

“very pretty,” Red confirms, “but I think I left mine behind..” 

You puff up your cheeks and stick your bottom lip out a little. 

“Well. Now I have a job. Let’s get going,” you gesture for the skeletons to follow, merging onto the well-trodden path with a broad smile, “I can make some and walk at the same time. Three awesome flower crowns, coming up!” 

Edge huffs as the three trail close behind you, like little ducklings. He still follows, just a bit further away. As you pick flowers from the side of the path, Edge slowly gets closer and closer, slowly getting more and more interested in what you’re doing. At first you said three, but… maybe... four wouldn’t hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure if i wanted the skeles to all know each other yet so im keeping that vague for now. Also thought about making them fight but im just a smol bby who wants everyone to b nice and bond over flower crowns u.u
> 
> p.s. Bush Bird is the love of my life and should be the main character of this story


	8. Gotta Go Fast (Like, So Fast)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wow! a new town!
> 
> ft. everyone's goblin brain kicking in (no offense to this worlds goblins im sure theyre very nice?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah yes zoom quicc fast

You groan. 

“Heckin’ dangit!” 

“what’s wit’ th’ foul mouth, kid?” 

“there’s not enough purple flowers!” you pout, showing Red the unfinished flower crown, which was showing a distinct lack of purple flowers. 

“well, can’t y’ use non- purple flowers?” 

“No!” you exclaim, almost offended. You gesture for Edge to come a little closer with a quirk of your finger. It must be so commanding that he obeys, stepping forward. You toss the crown onto his skull-- a feat you never thought you would achieve, since you don’t have the best hand-eye coordination sometimes-- with a little grunt and hop. 

Edge blinks down at you, quirking a brow in your general direction. 

“WHY IN THE WORLD HAVE YOU--” 

“yeah, yer right, kid,” Red nods, snickering up at his brother, “more purple is needed.” 

“Exactly!” you nod, hands on your hips. You then make a grabby gesture at Edge, “gimme the flower crown back, please,” 

Edge huffed down at you, but begrudgingly took off the crown, dropping it into your open hand.

You stuck your tongue out at him and took the ring of flowers, cradling it gently. Then, with a little scamper, you went off the little path, wandering into the tall grass that sided it, gently pushing the blades away. 

“kid, what the shit r’ you doin? we ain’t takin’ no more shortcuts.” 

You turn to face your party and tilt your head a little. The skeletons are staring at you, a little confused, maybe? 

“I’m not taking a shortcut! I’m lookin’ for more purple flowers!” 

“wh-- now, sweetheart?” Stretch asks, raising his brows. You nod. 

“What better time?” 

“well-” Red begins a sentence, but you just turn back to the blades of sawgrass, pushing through it. You can’t see very well through it, but this is your element! You hear shuffling behind you as the others try to follow you in your endeavors, Edge muttering, Blue’s boots stamping as he marches, Red grunting as he gets whacked in the skull by a plant, Stretch chuckling in that croaky voice of hiS--

You squeal as you’re lifted into the air suddenly, something clutching your waist softly. You stiffen but also squirm like a worm out of the ground, kicking your legs and squeaking, until you’re set down again, this time much higher than you’re used to. 

“doll, calm down, you’re fine. just couldn’t see ya very well, cos you’re short.” Stretch says softly as you’re placed atop his shoulders. One of his hands is just above your knee, holding you comfortably-- and safely!-- in place. The other is holding that floppy hat of his, the one with the feather. 

“Oh. well, this _is_ optimal flower-foraging height.” you nod, clearing your throat and drumming on the top of the skeleton’s skull a little. You look back and, ha! Edge is shorter than you, now! >:D 

You grin happily at him, to which he responds with an eye roll. You giggle. 

Stretch offers up that big hat, and you take it, setting it on your own head. Once his other hand is free, it goes above your knee like it’s companion, securing you in place. 

You take another look at the other skeletons, who are looking up at you and your perch upon the bard’s shoulders. He’s surprisingly comfortable, being a bunch of bones and all. Must be his jacket. 

“Hey, wait a minute, Blue’s short, too. Why aren’t you carrying him?” 

“cos he’s easy to see. You, on the other hand, are wearing varying shades of green and brown.” Stretch explains. It.. makes sense. The grass is green, you are wearing green, you blend in. Which is half the point of your outfit, but then again, it might be good for your party members to be able to see you. 

“I CAN’T BELIEVE WE ARE TAKING A DETOUR FOR FLOWERS,” grumbles Edge, dragging a hand over his skull and scowling deeply. You turn your head and grin happily, 

“Consider this the price for almost getting us killed, alright?” you say, sticking your tongue out. 

“AND,” Blue pipes in, scooting ahead of his brother and the rest of the party, “THIS COULD BE A GREAT BONDING EXPERIENCE!” 

“Yes! Bonding! Flowers are always a great reason to bond,” you nod thoughtfully, drumming rhythmically on Stretch’s skull, “Onwards, my steed!” 

“i’m a horse?” 

“if yer not up fer it, they c’n ride me anytime.” 

You quirk your head to the side. 

“Whassat mean?” 

“oh shit,” Stretch mutters, under his breath. Blue’s eyelights bulge as he registers what Red means, glancing at you to see your confused look, and Edge bonks the shorter edgy brother on the top of his skull. 

“doesn’t mean anything, honey, red’s just a weirdo.” He pats your knee reassuringly. 

You nod in agreement. You couldn’t argue with that fact. 

“Well, then, Stretch, forwards! We are on a quest now!” 

“a quest?” 

“Mhm! Not an actual one, of course, but a personal one, for about five purple flowers!” 

“ONLY FIVE?” Edge grunts, “WE ARE WASTING TIME FOR FIVE FLOWERS?” 

“On these flowers lies your salvation, dear Sorcerer,” you say solemnly, with a hint of ominousness in your voice. He should know he’s pushed it a lot, and five flowers isn’t a lot, much less an adequate apology, but it’s good enough for you. He should value that, you’d think. If it was anyone else, the situation might be much different. 

But, distracting you from your almost-threat, was a purple violet peeking out from between a bunch of grass. 

“Look, look, purple!” you squeak, pointing excitedly at the little bloom. Stretch, chuckling, heads in the direction of where your finger guides. Blue spots it soon before the Bard actually gets near it, scooting forward and plucking it up, pinching the stem between his fingers and pulling just a little, breaking it off the main plant. He offered it to his brother, since there was no way you could grab it now, with your newfound height. Gently, with those trained fingers of his, Stretch grabs up the flower and offers it to you, not crimping the stalk at all. Gratefully, you take it, giggling a thanks before you weave it into it’s place on the near-finished flower crown. 

“Four more!” you announce, petting down the newly added flower, cooing gently at it. 

“ONE FLOWER DOWN, FOUR TO GO!” Blue agrees, pumping his fist into the air victoriously. You did the same with a happy laugh, Stretch’s hat slipping to the side just a little. 

“woo-hoo,” drawled Red, chuckling just a little at your actions. Edge shakes his head, trying to pretend he wasn’t entertained. That was fine by you. He just wasn’t cool enough to understand. 

“To the next flower! My awesome Druid powers are telling me it’s… thataways!” You point in a random direction. 

“that a thing?” asks Red. 

You shake your head. 

“Nope!” 

You’re such a moron. 

Barking a laugh, Stretch heads in the direction you point. Unlike the other tall skeleton, this one was good at taking orders. 

You’re browsing the plants when-- 

Something large and sprawling is in the distance. A town? 

You point at it. 

“There’s a town!” you exclaim, bouncing a little atop the Bard’s shoulders. His grip on your knees tightens to keep you from falling. 

“a town?” asks Red. you nod vigorously. 

“A town!! It’s got buildings!” 

“USUALLY TOWNS HAVE BUILDINGS,” confirms Edge, “BUT THERE IS NO WAY WE’RE AT THE CAPITOL. WE STILL HAVE WEEKS OF TRAVELLING TO DO.” 

“Well, that’s good, because this place looks nothing like the Big City. Looks like a trading town, maybe? We should go!” 

“...WHY? WE’VE ALREADY WASTED ENOUGH TIME AS IS.” 

“Why not? And, besides, we could take a break!” 

“a break?” Red asks, suddenly interested. 

“Uh-huh! We’ve been out in the elements too long-- not that _I_ mind, but I’m sure you guys do, and towns such as this surely have places for travellers to relax.” 

“sounds like a plan, doll. ‘dis way, y’ said?” 

“RED--” Edge growled, but the barbarian was already heading in that direction, pushing through the grasses, leaving the rest of you in his wake. You giggled as Stretch took after him, his speed just a little faster than before. Not by a lot- he still drug his feet-- but enough of an increase in speed to blow your hair out from in front of your eyes a little. Blue scampered after, pushing past his brother and the other skeletons in a test of speed. Edge, apparently, saw this as a challenge and pushed past the bard as well, despite his obvious apprehension about approaching the town. He was surprisingly dexterous on those heels, too. Eventually, the speedwalking turned into an entire race, Blue and Edge vying for first place, Red tripping a couple times and falling to fourth, Stretch and you holding steady at third. 

It was a ways out, a couple miles, but at the speed that the skeletons had decided to set, you’d get there soon. Red had broken into a steady gait that was pretty quick compared to his normal speed, though Edge pushed past him in an almost run, and Blue was doing a high-knee march-scamper ahead of everyone. Stretch had to stretch- hehe-- his legs out a little to keep up with the eager Cleric, and you clung to his head like a possum so as to stabilize the bouncing he caused by doing so. Your group must look like an absolute wreck, scrambling to the town like this. It’s not like it was going anywhere. 

“blue! blue, slow down! blue-- fuck--” Stretch calls, skidding to a stop suddenly, bending over a little to catch his breath, hands clutching his knees. 

“Are you okay?” you ask, just a bit worried, rubbing circles onto the sides of his skull.

“mhm. not much of a runner,” he admits with an exerted smile. Red scampers past with a dopey grin, leaving you and the bard in his wake. Stretch’s chest heaves a few more times before he straightens up again and takes off after his brother, which almost throws you off. You squeal like a rabbit and once again cling to the Bard for _dear flipPing life._

“Why are we running!?” you shout. Blue squeals happily, throwing his hands into the air, and replies with a shout. 

“I DON’T KNOW! BUT IT’S FUN!” 

You couldn’t deny that fact. Going fast for no particular reason _was_ fun. 

As the town got closer, Edge slowed, and so did Blue. The composed themselves, brushing down their outfits, adjusting their staves, pretending they weren’t being the biggest dorks in the world. Red, on the other hand, took this opportunity to speed up, feet thundering down on the ground loudly as he pounded forward, doing a breathy grunt as he made it past the others. He turned on his heel and looked at you, grinning like a moron. You give him a thumbs up as Stretch comes to a stop, sighing thankfully as the running comes to an end. 

“That was great!” you exclaim, “let’s do it again!” 

A chorus of “no’s” surrounded you, as almost all the skeletons disagreed with you, with the exception of Blue, who’s eyelights were warbly stars, excited and adrenaline pumping. You giggled and took your legs out from around Stretch’s shoulders, climbing down the skeleton by using his hip bones as footholds. He grunted a little as you jumped the rest of the way down, the sudden loss of weight a blessing to his lanky frame. He wasn’t a runner, and running with an elf- however short they were-- was not easy. 

“You guys look like disasters,” you giggle, pointing at Red and Stretch. They, in fact, quite did. Neither of Red’s shoes were properly laced-- though you were sure that was normal- there was sweat (sweat?) beading down both their faces, Red’s a pretty crimson and Stretch’s a tangerine orange. 

“you ain’t much different, kid,” Red points out. 

  
  


You were the only one of the party that wasn’t tired out, even though Edge and Blue tried to hide it, but you were equally disheveled, your hair more moppy than usual upon your head, Stretch’s hat almost falling off, one of your boots unlaced, the bandages you wore underneath everything loosened. 

“yeah, but they’re a cute disaster, so it’s alright.” 

Red nods, as if Stretch is a scholar imparting upon him some arcane wisdom. Your face flushed, and your cheeks puffed with air as blood rushed to them. Red poked one cheek and out came a _phhblt._ Red grinned and you rolled your eyes, your face going redder than Red’s eyelights. 

The skeleton chuckles and shakes his skull side to side, calling you a dork. He gives you a head pat. 

Edge taps his foot to the ground, cocking his hips to the side impatiently. 

“IF WE’RE TO BE RELAXING, THEN WE SHOULD ACTUALLY _ENTER_ THE TOWN, SHOULD WE NOT?” 

“Says the guy who didn’t wanna go here in the first place,” you tease with a little wag of your finger. Edge scoffs in response, though a light dusting of cayenne red now makes it’s way onto his face. 

But you did as he had suggested, turning to pad into the small town. It was very cute, with paths paved in smooth river rocks and tall buildings with nice framework and thatch roofs. Blue walked along your side, Stretch next to him. Behind you was Edge, who’s heels clicked rhythmically on the stones, and on your other side was Red, who was looking around curiously. 

“This place is cute!”

“it’sa place,” Red shrugs, but flashed you a grin, “what i’m lookin’ fer is a tavern. m’ hungry as fuck. may’b sum’thin nice t’ drink.” 

“blunter than how i’d put it, but yeah.” Stretch nods. 

“I COULD GO FOR A BITE,” nods Blue, skipping along the stones. 

“FOOD IS THE LEAST OF MY CONCERNS AT THE MOMENT, BUT I SUPPOSE WE CAN GO LOCATE A TAVERN.” 

“Alright then! First stop: food!” 

“ARE THERE MORE STOPS?” questions the Cleric, peering at you. 

“Well, I've gotta get more string, and I wanna see about getting a map or something, and we’ve got to get Red a bedroll, since he’s a dummy and forgot his.” 

“‘m not a dummy,” Red scowls, “wus jus’ distracted.” 

“Sure, buddy,” you giggle and reach up to pat his shoulder. He rolls his eyes and tries to maintain his scowl, but you can tell he’s struggling a little. 

“So, stop one would be food, and then stop two is.. The market, I guess? We’ll go from there.” 

“sounds like a plan, stan,” nods Stretch. You tilt your head at his words. You are not stan! 

He gives you a head pat and takes back the floppy hat, placing it atop his skull once again. It falls to the side a little, but it works. 

“ONWARDS!” Blue announces, scampering forwards. With a smile, you latch onto both Stretch’s and Red’s hands, ignoring the memories that the feeling of their bones bring up, pulling them forward with you, trying to keep up with the Cleric. They’re both heavy, and they’re not helping very much by dragging their feet, so you have to put all your weight and strength into pulling them along. Just to make it clear, you are short, don’t weigh much, and are also not very strong. Pulling these tall, heavy, and presumably strong skeletons is a task in and of itself. 

After getting lost several times, you finally locate a small tavern populated by a bunch of humans. You’re hesitant to enter, at first, with your party composed entirely of non-humans, but the other four quickly head into the building, Red rumbling about cold mead and his belly, patting where said belly would be, if he had one, as if he had no care in the world. Yeah, you were probably looking too much into it. You shook your head and followed in Edge’s footsteps, pulling a wooden stool up to a round table. It’s kinda taller than you’re used to-- not that you knew very many stools, only Grillby’s, but still-- so you have to climb it a little, pushing up with your legs. Blue has a bit of the same trouble, but those two-ish inches he has on you seem to work out in his favor. 

The taller two skeletons sit on either side of you, slipping easily into the stools, their knees even bumping the bottom of the table just a little. Red sits next to Blue, grinning and rubbing his hands together, creating a rough scraping noise. 

“whaddya guys want? gettin’ me sum cool mead.” 

“Are you the waiter now?” you ask, with the quirk of your brow. 

“don’ push it, sweetcheeks, r’ you’ll be gettin’ yer own drink.” 

You flash him a apologetic smile that’s half genuine. 

“i’ma get a water!” 

“YES! WATER IS THE BEST OPTION!” 

“lemme get uhhhhh….” Stretch taps a finger to his chin, then shoots Red some gun fingers and a wink, “mead. extra honey.” 

“ain’t there e’nuff honey in there already?” 

“the more honey, the better,” Stretch grins. His brother sighs and drags a hand over his skull. 

“an’ you, boss?” asks Red, glancing at his brother. The skeleton grunts unhelpfully. 

Red shrugs, not bothering to inquire further, and pads away. Edge leans back in his stool, and you do the same, tilting the seat onto it’s back legs. You pat at the table, swinging your legs back and forth. 

“so we stayin’ here the night or are we gonna head out before that?” Stretch asks, drumming his knuckles on the wooden table, starting with the pointer finger and ending with the thumb, “cos I’m looking forward to an actual bed tonight.” 

You tap your chin. A bed does sound nice.. A warm, actual one at that. You had the coin and, well, sure, it had been only two days since you left, but you _missed_ having a bed. 

“I mean, I’m up for it, if you are.” you shrug. 

“MMPH. WELL. WE’RE ALREADY HERE.” Edge sighs, “NOT THAT MY WORD MEANS MUCH ANYMORE.” 

“cos you’re a meanie!” you sing-song. Blue snickers behind his hand. 

Red soon returns, two steins in his hands and two glasses precariously perched upon his forearms. He slides one stein to Stretch and sets the other one down in front of his seat at the table. He then slides the glasses to you and Blue. you clutch the cold cup in your hand and lift it to your mouth, taking a long sip. You like natural water, but chilled water is awesome, too. You sighed happily as you took the cup away from your lips. Red is staring over your shoulder. You quirk a brow and--

“hold my mead.” He says, thrusting it into your arms, sliding out of his stool. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What does Red see? Tell me wht u think .3.
> 
> Edit: made Edge a Sorcerer bc i did some research lmao


	9. Red Has... Friends???? Woah,,

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet yet another skeledude!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ehe;; sorry for the wait. was burnt out and the holidays were tiring and the new year even more so. but hey, have this chapter, friends! n.n hope you had a good holidays, too. 
> 
> and hey, by the way! I have a tumblr! I dont know how links work but my username is the same there as it is here (FrogHatt) [With two t's!]
> 
> im posting art and other undertale-related (ish) stuff there! check it out!

The skeleton’s hard shoes hit the ground with a thud, knocking into the floorboards. You clutch his drink, curiously watching Red as he stalks off. What was the matter? 

You attempt to predict where he’s going, but his chosen path wasn’t the clearest. You’re pretty sure he circles the same table twice. But, eventually, he makes his way to a patron who sits at the bar, a hood drawn up over their head and obscuring any of their physical features. Red gives them a tap on the shoulder, glaring holes into the side of their head. Why’d he look so grumpy, all of a sudden? 

Hold up. 

He’s not trying to get in a fight, is he? 

You nudge Stretch with your elbow, scooting your chair slightly closer to him. 

“Is everything alright over there?” you ask, pointing over to the barbarian and the person he had decided to bother. They had now shifted in their stool to face Red, staring down at him from their perch atop the seat. You saw now-- holy-- wowza, that’s a big cleaver. It laid across the patron’s lap, stained slightly with various colors of you’d-rather-not-know, out plain for anyone to see. It was much, much bigger than either of Red little axes but yet, the barbarian knew not to back off. One of their known, dying faults. The guy claimed he didn’t wanna be a barb, but he sure did act like one… 

Stretch shrugs, dropping his chin into his propped-up hand, eyebrows slightly raised in intrigue. 

“no clue,” he admits, drumming his knuckles rhythmically on the wooden table, “but if something does happen, ‘m sure that bag of repressed emotions can deal with it.” 

“But aren’t you afraid he might get hurt? You see that big cleaver?” 

Edge sighs, pinching and rubbing circles into the space between his eyes. 

“THOSE TWO IDIOTS WON’T HURT EACH OTHER.” 

“How do you know?” you question, the twinge of a sneer tugging at the upper corners of your lips. You weren’t supposed to mean but, man, were you getting a little sick of the edgy Sorcerer’s know-it-all attitude. 

“WATCH, DRUID.” he points a claw at his brother and cleaver-person. You huff, drop your arms onto the table, and take a slow sip of your cool water. Stretch gives you a pat on your head. 

Red is now standing on his tip-toes, arms folded across his broad chest, skull in the other’s face. His teeth are drawn in a snarl, his brow-bones furrowed hard. You tense just a little, ready to jump out of your stool and drag your friend back over to the table. Blue’s also watching intently, a hand wrapped around his staff, another playing with the metal loops within the rung on the end. Stretch is feigning being uninterested, but there’s a teensy little bit of curious sharpness to his lights. 

You’re watching Red’s finger’s twitch, now bent into fists as he leans closer, the tip of his nose bone nearly making contact with the other’s face. You’re climbing out of your chair and setting Red’s mead down when he looks at you, the other- skeleton? really?-- following his gaze to you. Red grins at you and claps a hand on the cleaver-person's shoulder. 

“git back in yer stool, sweetheart,” he bellows across the establishment, getting sharp glares from the humans, to which he returns, before looking back at you, “i got dis!” 

That’s followed by a thumbs up from the barbarian, and then wide-open eye sockets as cleaver-skeleton drops from his chair with a louder thunk than Red’s. He’s a little startled but, but quickly recovers and rotates to face cleaver person. He gestures to the table, and cleaver person nods.

They begin to head over, so you clamber back into the stool, with a helping hand from Stretch to pull you up. 

Red slips into his stool, and cleaver person pulls up another, sidling up next to Red. You look at them curiously as they settle the weapon in their lap. 

“‘dis ‘s axe,” Red says, patting cleaver- person on the back, “he’s my pal.” 

“BUT THAT’S A CLEAVER,” Blue points out, pointing at Axe's lap. 

“an’ i ain’t th’ color red, and you ain’t the color blue, so i guess none a’ us r’ livin’ up to our names, huh?” 

You gave a little snort. Technically, he was right. Blue rolls his eyelights, and Stretch raises his arms to the sky. Well, at least he and Edge live up to their names. The only successful ones in that department. 

You reach across the table to Axe, offering your hand in the handshake gesture thing Red had showed you. If Axe and he knew each other, then surely he’d know how, too, right? 

“Hello!” you smile, giving him your name. 

Red reached over and readjusted your hand. 

“Close, sweetheart,” he offers, correcting your hand’s position so it was vertical, rather than diagonal, like you had put it. Axe places his hand-- his large, oversized, clawed hand-- in yours, and gives it a shake. You can see his face a little better now. He’s got sharp teeth that are a little wonky, a half-closed eye socket without an eyelight, and another that’s big and wide, with a huge, red, lopsided eyelight that's possibly making up for the fact that he lacks two, faintly illuminating his skull. It trains itself on you, though it darts around sometimes, seeming unused staying still. 

You sit back in your stool, letting the others give their introductions. 

“‘m Stretch,” the bard says with a nod of his chin and a slight tip to his hat. Blue waves happily at Axe, smiling broadly. 

“I’M THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE! OR, JUST BLUE, FOR SHORT! IT’S NICE TO MEET YOU!” 

Edge simply regards Axe with a downwards glance and a small huff. 

“IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU ONCE AGAIN, AXE.” 

Axe nods. 

“...you, too.” 

His voice catches you off guard. 

Its freaking deep, like an abyss, like stone scraping together. It’s otherworldly, dimensional, how deep it is. It’s almost scary, really. Most of the deep voices you’ve experienced belonged to ancient tree spirits, wise well beyond time, or dangerous people, ready to take. At first glance, you supposed, Axe could appear dangerous, with his cleaver set in his lap, his clawed phalanges, sharp, wonky teeth, but… he didn’t seem like he was quite prone to destruction or harm. He didn’t have that aura about him. He spoke slowly, as well, as if picking and choosing the right words to place together, as if Common was not his first tongue, and he only had a few select words to choose from. It was strangely comforting, as well, in addition to being a little frightening. 

He sounded kind of like Red, voice slightly accented, rough, but yet smooth at the same time, but then also more careful than his friend, more thoughtful. Not saying Red wasn’t thoughtful, no. Just a moron. 

“oi, elfie, quit yer starin’” Red grunts, reaching over and flicking you across the nose. You yelp and bat his hands away. 

“Sorry!” you squeak, but shoot a glare at Red for flicking you, “i was just wondering how you two knew each other. And it’s kinda crazy. I never knew Red had friends.” 

The barbarian balks at your words. 

“b-” he fumbles for the right things to say, his mind seemingly taken aback. Beside you, Edge snickers, muffled by red leather. “but, sweetheart, elfie, sweetcheeks, I thought we wuz friends?” 

You giggle and give him a stupid look you can only categorize as ‘mysterious’, wiggling your eyebrows and lowering your eyelids a little. 

“mmm..” rumbles Axe, with a nod and deep chuckle, “‘s alright… met this guy,” he jerks a finger at Red, “sleepin’ in… the woods… snuggled up with a thirty-foot snake.” 

Blue’s eyes expanded in pure alarm. 

“THIRTY FEET!” he parroted, sitting forwards and placing his hands in his lap. 

“mm,” Axe rumbles again in confirmation. Blue cringed and looked at Red, who shrugged and chuckled. 

“what c’n i say? th’ big-ass thing wuz cold, an’ i wuz tired”

You nod. 

“That’s very good of you, Red. Cuddling forest creatures is very noble.” 

“see? m’ a good guy,” 

“...it was about to eat you…” 

You blinked. 

“Feeding forest creatures is also very noble?” you attempt, with an awkward shrug. Stretch chuckles and takes a long sip from his stein. 

“gives a whole new definition t’ bed n’ breakfast, huh?” 

“ey, i can’t help im such a snack.” 

You shake your head with a mirthful chuckle. 

“You’re something, indeed,”

You all laugh a little longer, before Red nudges Axe in the ribcage.

“so,” he asks, brow quirked in interest, “what are y’ doing around here, bud?” 

“...looking.” Axe says simply. Red nods as if he understands, but the rest of you are left in the shadows. Well, maybe not Edge. 

“still?” questions Red, pouring the last of his mead down into the void of his jaw, letting the golden, honey-colored liquid disappear and splash down the hatch. 

“mm.” 

“well,” Red offers eagerly, setting down the stein, “you can go looking with us, if y’ want. m’ sure these dumbasses won’t mind.” 

He gestures to you and the others, which gets a chuckle from Stretch, an offended exclamation from Blue, and an eyelight roll from Edge. You, yourself, give a pout and flick the air in Red’s direction, sending a teensy gust of wind into his face. 

“Rude,” you frown, and stick out your tongue. He grins in response, baring his teeth happily. 

“So,” Red asks, still smiling, “ya gonna come wit’ me an’ the gang?” 

Axe sighs and shakes his head in response. 

“need to look alone,” he explains. Red’s grin falls a little, but not too noticeably. Axe hums to himself a tad, before glancing back at Red, smile tugging at his mouth, “it is quicker to travel alone… but a day or two.. cannot hurt much.” 

Red beamed, a great, big genuine smile, filled with sharp fangs and brightness. He clapped Axe on the back. 

“das’ great, man,” he shouted. 

Out of the corner of your eye, you say the tiniest bit of contentment wash over Edge’s face. He seemed to enjoy his brother being happy and open, which was  _ such  _ a harsh contradiction to how he treated him. 

You tilt back your head and lift your glass to your lips and allow the last of the water to flow down your throat. You slide out of the stool again and grin up at your band of skeletons. 

“Well, guys,” you say, hands on your hips, “I’m ready to go when you are. Remember, we’ve still got chores.” 

Stretch nods and tosses back the rest of his drink, sliding from his stool as well. Blue joins you both with a happy little hop, his boots thumping on the wood. Edge is next to slide from his stool, daintily touching his heeled boots down. Red jumps out of his own stool and shuffles over to you, scruffling you on the head and handing you his empty stein. You looked at him with a confused little look, tilting your head. 

“since y’ made that lil waiter quip earlier, y’ can give the cups back t’ th’ bartender yerself.” 

You rolled your eyes and swiped the two glasses and Stretch’s stein off the table, bouncing over to the bar. Even though Red claimed to be making you do something yourself, he followed you to the bar, getting closer and closer the more the human patrons of the bar sneered at you. You didn’t particularly notice, but Stretch and Axe sure did. 

“pff...” Axe snorts, “he’s… infatuated already.” 

“heh, yeah. it’s cos the lil elf is cute,” Stretch agrees. 

Axe nods knowingly. 

“he’s like that.. around cute things... ” 

Edge huffs and rolls his eyelights, one of his favorite things to do, apparently, and crosses his arms over his chest. 

As you and Red head back to the group, you give a giggle as he makes some kind of dumb, most likely slightly obscene joke. Your oblivious laughter is like little fairy bells to his auditory canals, and draws yet another smile onto his skull as he pats you on the head. He enjoys the feel of your curly hair between his fingers. 

He likes making you laugh, for some reason. It’s not hard, and he’s heard it often since he met you, but he likes the sound, anyways. 

You and Red regroup with the rest of skeletons, and thus, all six of you exited the tavern, Edge trailing significantly behind, as per usual, but unlike normal, the look of contentment is still in his little pinprick eyelights, warbling a little as he watches his brother interact with you. 

He’d better not be getting soft. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: i dont have a thing for axe's voice i dont have a thing for axe's voice i-
> 
> Also Me: ok how do i shrink this 250 word paragraph down to 150 words
> 
> and hey, by the way! I have a tumblr! I dont know how links work but my username is the same there as it is here (FrogHatt) [With two t's!]
> 
> im posting art and other undertale-related (ish) stuff there! check it out! 
> 
> Have a nice day! Love you all!


	10. mm shopping (I don’t have a longer title)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you an the party go to the marketplace to get some stuff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mainly a transitional chapter for ya today! nice and lax, no chaos for now u.u
> 
> <https://froghatt.tumblr.com/>

As you stepped out from the cool air of the tavern and into the warm sun of the outdoors, you once again grabbed the Barbarian’s hand, ignoring the unsettling feelings the bone gave you, and began to tug the wide-shouldered skeleton down the cobble pathway, urging him to hurry up. 

And, of course, as last time, Red drug his feet, grinning as you exert yourself. He was definitely not helping. 

“You’re just gonna sleep on the dirt, again, if you don’t stop bein’ unhelpful, sir. I can choose not to get you a bedroll,” you threat, puffing your cheeks out. Red simply chuckled, booping your cheek and forcing some air out. He grinned at the noise. Dork. 

“‘Das fine,” he grins, leaning in close, “we can jus’ cuddle in yers,”

With the combined closeness of his skull, his hand in yours, his eye sockets lidded in the way the are, that dumb smirk and the warmth of his breath just barely brushing your cheek, and the sheer infinite implications his sentence contains, your cheeks quickly ignite in a searing blush. You squeak indignantly, and puff your cheeks out some more. Your hand slips from his as your face burns with embarrassment. His skull stays close to yours, smirking knowingly and smugly simultaneously. 

You huffed and pressed a hand to the middle of the skeleton’s face-- it hardly covered the bridge of his nose bone-- and pushed him away. He still grinned, opening his mouth and letting a big ol’ red tongue flop out. He then licked your hand, like a nasty. You yelped at the feeling of the smooth, warm and slightly-wet appendage against your skin, and drew it back quickly, shaking the drool off. 

Edge made a fist and bonked his shorter brother on the crown of his skull. Red simply guffawed and rubbed the abused bone, smirking down at you. 

“You’re gross!” you exclaimed, holding your arm by the wrist, as far away from your body as possible. 

“there’s a lot more where that came from, sweetheart,” Red grinned, making the common language’s “V” character with his fingers, placing the gesture before his maw and dropping his tongue out to dangle between the phalanges. You quirked a brow at the motion. Once again, Edge hit his brother atop the skull. Stretch stnatched you up from under the arms, lifting you up and tucking you under his arm, letting you dangle. You flailed a little before giving up, going limp and floppy-- what was with this guy and picking you up?-- tilting your head to look at the rest of your party. 

Red was nudging Axe with his elbow, grinning widely, the two skeletons chuckling dumbly. 

“WE’VE GOT THINGS TO DO,” Edge grunts, shifting past you and the others, walking ahead. 

Blue skittered up after him, Red soon to follow. Hefting you up and adjusting you a little, Stretch followed his brother, his lute bouncing on his back just slightly. Axe was in the rear, dragging his feet like there were stones attached to them. 

Your arms and legs dangled in time with Stretch’s steps as the five of you walked on, towards the market-- wherever that was. 

  
  
  


\----

After about thirty-ish minutes, you guys _finally_ found the market, which was only a few turns away from the tavern. The marketplace was bustling and of people, and more diverse than the tavern. Here, there were stalls run by dwarves and Monsters, selling metals and smithed weapons, and niche nicknacks, in addition to the humans with textiles, farmed goods, and other miscellaneous items for travellers and whatnot to browse. It’s noisy, but the cloth still around your head muffles the noise a tad.

“Alright!” you announce from your place under the Bard’s arm, “I need string and Red needs a bedroll, because he’s a moron.” 

“you... forgot your bedroll... again?” Axe questions, fingers shifting in his pockets. It was… interesting to know this wasn’t a one-time occurrence. 

“thought i wouldn’t need it?” Red suggests with a shrug, scratching at his neck vertebrae. 

Axe sighs in response. 

You roll your eyes and wiggle, tapping on Stretch’s arm as a signal for him to put you down. He does so, and you brush yourself down, springing back up with fists on your hips. You beckon your party to follow you, heading to the nearest stall, which is manned by a stocky dwarf, arms crossed across their chest. Before them is a cacophony of stuff; chest plates. Arm and leg guards, various metal tools and weapons, and a few leather accoutrements. You smile at the dwarf, who smiles back from behind their beard. 

“Hi!” you wave, “this dummy over here,” you point to Red, who’s now shuffled up behind you.

“not a dummy.” He clarifies. Edge shakes his head in denial. 

“He forgot his bedroll. Um. do you, perchance, have one? Like. a big one. Like biiiiig. Like, like this guy,” you gesture to Red and his broad self. He rolls his eyelights, but a dusting of color flushes over his zygomatic bones at the… well.. Compliments? 

The dwarf taps a large finger to their chin, looking Red up and down. 

“Uh…” they murmur, “definitely not. Guy’s pretty big, an’ my selection a’ bedrolls is pretty limited. Tell ya what, though, eflie,” they say, “i c’n get me wifey t’ slap two of these together. Will cost ya a little, but between y’ and me,” they lean closer to you, putting a hand up as if telling a secret, “ain’t no one in this village much more willin’ to sew up leather fer a big ol’ monster than me wifey.”

You grimace-- you should have figured that’d be the case, but, well, at least you went to the right person first? Stretch pats you on the shoulder reassuringly. 

“Alright well. Uh, can we do that? I got coin.” you flip open the little pouch on your belt, jostling through the little metal disks.

“hol’ up, elfie,” Red says, touching his fingers to your wrist, “th’ hell y’ think yer doin?” 

“Uh. paying? For your bedroll?” 

“yeah, no, that’s not happening.” 

“But you paid for the drinks? The least I can do is do this,” 

He gave you a Look. You returned it with set brows. 

“We can split.” you offer. 

“no way.” He counters. 

“Yes way,” you counter-counter. 

“nuh-uh--” 

“BOTH OF YOU, CEASE THAT. RED, YOU’RE BROKE, AND DRUID, YOU ARE DEFINITELY NOT PAYING. I WILL NOT BE IN DEBT TO YOU, AND NOR WILL MY BROTHER.” 

Edge then promptly slides some coin onto the stand-- three silver pieces, as far as you can tell-- and the dwarf nods, taking the pieces. 

“Wifey can have it done by tomorrow. Noon, maybe morning. She’s real good with that sewin’ stuff.” 

Edge nods, then turns to face you. You’re, for some reason, gaping. 

"LOOKS LIKE WE ARE STAYING THE NIGHT." he says simply.

He puts a finger under your jaw, shutting it for you, turning on those impossibly-tall heels of his

“I coulda paid!” you protested as Edge strode away. You give the dwarf a bow before scurrying after the Sorcerer, latching onto his sleeve. 

“AS I SAID. I WILL NOT BE IN DEBT TO YOU.” 

“Money is a social construct!” you exclaim, tossing your arms up in exasperation, “I could care less about it!” 

“an’ i ain’t broke!” pipes Red, shuffling on the other side of his brother. 

“YOU DEFINITELY ARE. YOU SPENT YOUR LAST COIN AT FELLBY’S.” 

“that's-” Red attempts to defend himself, but ends up just spluttering, giving a growl, and crossing his arms over his chest. 

“don’t worry, man,” Stretch grins, “i ain’t got any money, either.” 

Blue gives him a whack in the side. 

“YOU STILL NEED STRING, DON'T YOU?” asks the Cleric, skipping up next to you. You nod in response. 

“You guys can look around. I might be a minute.” 

“Naw,” Red says, swinging an arm over your shoulder, like he usually does, “wanna chill wit you a bit.”

You look to your side, but Blue’s already gone. Stretch had replaced him. 

“he said he’d meet us at the inn.” 

“Where’d he go so quickly??” 

“You’ve seen how fast the lil’ thing is, darlin’” 

You shake your head with a chuckle--

“I’M HEADING OFF AS WELL. I, TOO, SHALL MEET YOU LATER, AT THE INN.” 

Edge promptly wanders off. You can still see his red-and-black clad figure in the clusters of people, with how tall he is. 

“Guess it’s just us, three, then!” you smile, clapping your hand together and glancing behind you at Axe. He give you a crooked smile and nod.

“Okay. I need string, and a map. And an apple. We forgot to eat.” 

“that we did,” Stretch nods, placing an elbow on your head, using you as an armrest. You huff. 

You head over to one of the stalls with produce, Stretch still usuing you as an elbow rest, standing on your tippy-toes to look over the fruits. 

You’re looking over some apples when you catch a glance of something small in your peripheral vision. 

A tiny hand is grabbing at the fruits in the stall. The human guarding the fruits sems to take notice the moment the little grubby hand trying to get the produce. The human swats at the hand’s accompanying wrist, barking a warning at it’s owner. 

You frown and head over to see the hand’s owner. 

It’s a tiny, reptilian-ish child that looks almost like a tortoise or a turtle. It’s got rough, warty skin, a large shell on it’s back, bare, webbed toes, and big, orange eyes. 

The child is clearly malnourished, with sharp points where the bones press at the skin. You skitter over and pull them close to your body, away from the human. 

“Oi!” barks said human, brow knotted in anger, “that kid needs t’ learn a less’n bout stealin’ from me!” 

You glower some more. The child lets out a little whimper, wrapping their short and thin arms around your leg, hugging it for comfort. 

“They’re a _child,_ ” you say defensively, stroking their head, “who is _hungry._ ”

“An’ so will my kids be, if i just let that lil’ gremlin steal my stuff!” 

The human steps out from behind the stall, towards you. A slight shadow is cast over you as he towers above you.

“Fine, then,” you huff, popping open your coin pouch once again, “it won’t be stealing if I pay, now, will it?” 

The human scowls in response. 

“Ain’t lettin’ that kid get--” the human cuts himself off, looks above you, back at you, above you, then back at you and the child. 

He scowls even more, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“three coppers. For your apple and the thief’s.” 

“Fine,” you hiss, eyes narrowing and digging out four of the little brown circles. It’s an expensive price for apples, but at this moment in time, you could care less. You toss the cutouts at the human and snatch two of the apples, one for you and another for the child. 

Crouching to be at eye level with the little monster child, you take their webbed hand in yours and place the golden yellow apple in it with a smile. 

“I know what it’s like to be hungry, buddy,” you say, patting their head, “hopefully this apple will help a little, alright?” 

they give a tiny nod of their chin. 

“Thank you,” they croak, pulling you into a swift hug, then shuffling away. Their feet _plap_ on the ground as they do so. 

You stand, take a small bite of your own apple, try to take a turn to head back to your party, and then promptly walk into a wall. 

That hadn't been there before-- Oh wait. It’s Axe. When did he get there. 

“that... was good of you…” the Large skeleton murmurs, he seems to want to say more, but doesn’t make a move to. You give a smile. 

“It’s what any good person should do,” you reply simply. You offer him your apple. “Want some?” 

Red chuckles, looking away from the little trinkets he was ogling with a grin. 

“ya’ feed ‘im an’ he’ll be instantly in love wit’ cha.” 

Axe rolls his eyelight and says over his shoulder, 

“like … you already aren’t.” 

Red flushes and looks away as quick as he can. 

Axe looks back at you and plucks the apple from your hands. It’s gone in seconds, disappearing down into… wherever the food that the skeletons eat goes. 

“Well, now i need another apple,” you pout.

“I got it,” Axe says, turning to the human who had caused issues before. He’s quickly handed an apple, without a sound from the human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> looks like you n Axe have something in common o .o
> 
> Me, writing: (word) (word) 
> 
> Me: hm... thats not right..
> 
> Me: (word)-(word) 
> 
> Me: ah yes. correct. much better. superior. yes
> 
> follow me on tumblr ig 
> 
> <https://froghatt.tumblr.com/>
> 
> HAHA I FIGURED OUT LINKS HJJSUEBWKW
> 
> (would also like to say that blue didn't teleport that one time he just a fast boi)
> 
> Have a swell day! *I say, sleep deprived and at 3:21 am*


End file.
